the gale's blown out we shall be hundreds of miles at sea. Even
if it had been fine I don't suppose the skipper would have parted
with you, especially if you told him the watch was asleep. He would
not care next time he entered an English port to have a claim fixed
on his ship for the vally of the smack.'

"I saw what the sailor said was like enough, and blamed myself for
having let out about the watch. However, there was no help for it,
and I turned into an empty bunk and cried myself to sleep. What a
voyage that was, to be sure! The ship was a Yankee and so was the
master and mates. The crew were of all sorts, Dutch, and Swedes,
and English, a Yank or two, and a sprinklin' of niggers. It was one
of those ships they call a hell on earth, and cussing and kicking
and driving went on all day. I hadn't no regular place give me, but
helped the black cook, and pulled at ropes, and swabbed the decks,
and got kicked and cuffed all round. The skipper did not often
speak to me, but when his eye lighted on me he gave an ugly sort
of look, as seemed to say, 'You'd better ha' gone down with the
others. You think you're going to report the loss of the smack, and
to get damages against the Potomac, do you? we shall see.' The crew
were a rough lot, but the spirit seemed taken out of 'em by the
treatment they met with. It was a word and a blow with the mates,
and they would think no more of catching up a handspike and stretching
a man senseless on the deck than I should of killing a fly. There
was two or three among 'em of a better sort than the others. The
best of 'em was the carpenter, an old Dutchman. 'Leetle boy,' he
used to say to me, 'you keep yourself out of the sight of de skipper.
Bad man dat. Me much surprise if you get to de end of dis voyage
all right. You best work vera hard and give him no excuse to hit
you. If he do, by gosh, he kill you, and put down in de log, Boy