V SKIPPERS ALL 273 



have a badly swelled throat. The other one, 

 though clothed in respectable navy serge, wore 

 a comfortable,, unstarched, soft-collared shirt and 

 a leathern belt — something between a tramp 

 steamer's second mate ashore and a Wild West 

 scoundrel. 



However, I remembered that I had upon me 

 my certificate of discharge from the ss. Coranian, 

 on which my character for conduct and character 

 for ability were both stamped 'Very good.' So I 

 presented Jim to the police, and incidentally to the 

 hotel-keepers, simply as marin — leaving them to 

 decide whether he w^as Monsieur le Capltalne or 

 a mere A.B. Myself I put down as marin 

 (sea-faring man) ct homme de lettres (wearing 

 spectacles) . 



And they soon made up their minds about us. 

 In vain I protested that Jim was my skipper; that 

 I worked for him, not he for me. 'No doubt you 

 do work,' said an amiable fellow In a cabaret, 'I 

 can see very well that your hands are strong and 

 hard. But believe that you two are of the same 

 occupation, absolutely .... Jamais de la vie! 

 Why, you are the two extremities. Your friend 

 is a small-built man. You are biggish. You are 

 pale and monsieur Is very red. Monsieur doesn't 



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