4 THE CRUISE OF THE "CACHALOTr 



down the steep ladder, I entered the gloomy den -which 

 was to be for so long my home, finding it fairly packed 

 with my shipmates. A motley crowd they were. I 

 had been used in English ships to considerable variety 

 of nationality ; but here were gathered, not only the 

 representatives of five or six nations, but 'long-shoremen 

 of all kinds, half of whom had hardly ever set eyes on 

 a ship before ! The whole space was undivided by par- 

 tition, but I saw at once that black men and white had 

 separated themselves, the blacks taking the port side 

 and the whites the starboard. Finding a vacant bunk 

 by the dim glimmer of the ancient teapot lamp that 

 hung amidships, giving out as much smoke as light, I 

 hurriedly shifted my coat for a "jumper" or blouse, 

 put on an old cap, and climbed into the fresh air again. 

 For a double reason, even my seasoned head was feeling 

 bad with the villainous reek of the place, and I did not 

 want any of those hard-featured officers on deck to have 

 any cause to complain of my ** hanging back." On 

 board ship, especially American ships, the first requisite 

 for a sailor who wants to be treated properly is to *' show 

 willing," any suspicion of slackness being noted im- 

 mediately, and the backward one marked accordingly. 

 I had hardly reached the deck when I was confronted 

 by a negro, the biggest I ever saw in my life. He 

 looked me up and down for a moment, then opening 

 his ebony features in a wide smile, he said, ** Great 

 snakes ! why, here's a sailor man for sure ! Guess 

 thet's so, ain't it, Johnny ? " I said " yes " very curtly, 

 for I hardly liked his patronizing air ; but he snapped 

 me up short with "yes, sir, when yew speak to me, 

 yew blank limej nicer. I'se de fourf mate ob dis yar 

 ship, en my name's Mistah Jones, 'n yew jest freeze 



