"Why, when I was a boy you wouldn"t believe what I had to eat," said the skipper; "not if I took my Bible oath on it, you wouldn"t."
"They"re dainty," said the mate.
"Dainty!" said the other indignantly. "What right have hungry sailormen to be dainty? Don"t I give them enough to eat? Look! Look there!"
He drew back, choking, and pointed with his forefinger as Bill Smith, A.B., came on deck with a plate held at arm"s length, and a nose disdainfully elevated. He affected not to see the skipper, and, walking in a mincing fashion to the side, raked the food from the plate into the sea with his fingers. He was followed by George Simpson, A.B., who in the same objectionable fashion wasted food which the skipper had intended should nourish his frame.
"I"ll pay "em for this!" murmured the skipper.
"There"s some more," said the mate.
Two more men came on deck, grinning consciously, and disposed of their dinners. Then there was an interval-an interval in which everybody, fore and aft, appeared to be waiting for something; the something being at that precise moment standing at the foot of the foc"sle ladder, trying to screw its courage up.
"If the boy comes," said the skipper in a strained, unnatural voice, "I"ll flay him alive."
"You"d better get your knife out then," said the mate.
The boy appeared on deck, very white about the gills, and looking piteously at the crew for support. He became conscious from their scowls that he had forgotten something, and remembering himself, stretched out his skinny arms to their full extent, and, crinkling his nose, walked with great trepidation to the side.
"Boy!" vociferated the skipper suddenly.
"Yessir," said the urchin hastily.
"Comm"ere," said the skipper sternly.
"Shove your dinner over first," said four low, menacing voices.
The boy hesitated, then walked slowly towards the skipper.
"What are you going to do with that dinner?" demanded the latter grimly.
"Eat it," said the youth modestly.
"What d"yer bring it on deck for, then?" inquired the other, bending his brows on him.
"I thought it would taste better on deck, sir," said the boy.
"Taste better!" growled the skipper ferociously. "Ain"t it good?"
"Yessir," said the boy.
"Speak louder," said the skipper sternly. "Is it very good?"
"Beautiful," said the boy in a shrill falsetto.
"Did you ever taste better wittles than you get aboard this ship?"
demanded the skipper, setting him a fine example in loud speaking.
"Never," yelled the boy, following it.
"Everything as it should be?" roared the skipper.
"Better than it should be," shrilled the craven.
"Sit down and eat it," commanded the other.
The boy sat on the cabin skylight, and, taking out his pocket-knife, began his meal with every appearance of enjoyment, the skipper, with his elbows on the side, and his legs crossed, regarding him serenely.
"I suppose," he said loudly, after watching the boy for some time, "I s"pose the men threw theirs overboard becos they hadn"t been used to such good food?"
"Yessir," said the boy.
"Did they say so?" bawled the other.
The boy hesitated, and glanced nervously forward. "Yessir," he said at length, and shuddered as a low, ominous growl came from the crew.
Despite his slowness, the meal came to an end at last, and, in obedience to orders, he rose, and taking his plate forward, looked entreatingly at the crew as he pa.s.sed them.
"Come down below," said Bill; "we want to have a talk with you."
"Can"t," said the boy. "I"ve got my work to do. I haven"t got time to talk."
He stayed up on deck until evening, and then, the men"s anger having evaporated somewhat, crept softly below, and climbed into his bunk.
Simpson leaned over and made a clutch at him, but Bill pushed him aside.
"Leave him alone," said he quietly; "we"ll take it out of him to-morrow."
For some time Tommy lay worrying over the fate in store for him, and then, yielding to fatigue, turned over and slept soundly until he was awakened some three hours later by the men"s voices, and, looking out, saw that the lamp was alight and the crew at supper, listening quietly to Bill, who was speaking.
"I"ve a good mind to strike, that"s what I"ve a good mind to do," he said savagely, as, after an attempt at the b.u.t.ter, he put it aside and ate dry biscuit.
"An" get six months," said old Ned. "That won"t do, Bill."
"Are we to go a matter of six or seven days on dry biscuit and rotten taters?" demanded the other fiercely. "Why, it"s slow sooicide."
"I wish one of you would commit sooicide," said Ned, looking wistfully round at the faces, "that "ud frighten the old man, and bring him round a bit."
"Well, you"re the eldest," said Bill pointedly.
"Drowning"s a easy death too," said Simpson persuasively. "You can"t have much enjoyment in life at your age, Ned?"
"And you might leave a letter behind to the skipper, saying as "ow you was drove to it by bad food," said the cook, who was getting excited.
"Talk sense!" said the old man very shortly.
"Look here," said Bill suddenly. "I tell you what we can do: let one of us pretend to commit suicide, and write a letter as Slushy here ses, saying as "ow we"re gone overboard sooner than be starved to death. It "ud scare the old man proper; and p"raps he"d let us start on the other meat without eating up this rotten stuff first."
"How"s it to be done?" asked Simpson, staring.