202 Crossing the Line 



1943, continued 



"Yeah, that damn Maverick — It's guys hke him that makes ti'ouble. An' you 

 know there's a couple of more guys aboard this ship'd join up with 'im if he 

 started. . . ." 



"Yeah, but what do they do?" 



"Oh, different things. You know that Maverick guy," he was talking and 

 gesturing at the old man. "He's always stirring up trouble — back there in 

 oiu" cabin — " 



Oilers rated separate quarters — they were a step above firemen and wipers. 

 Pat, the Maverick, and Birdneck bunked together. 



"Sometimes old Pat — you know he's a good old guy — he's old that's all. 

 This goddam Maverick is always trying — " 



I broke in, "Look, can't ya teU a fella what happens? What's this Father 

 Neptune — ?" 



"Oh, that's nothing. That's just — well what's hard is if some feller like that 

 gets the idea to try some keeUiaulin' — like they used to do in the old days — " 



"Well, what's this keeUiaulin'? Why doesn't somebody explain some of this?" 

 I was getting panicky about that damn Equator. 



"Well, keelhauHn', that's when they tie a line around you." 



The ship's beU sounded again and interrupted his explanation. . . . 



Birdneck approached me early one evening. "Would you do my portray? 

 I see the ones you did of the blond kid. No kiddin' — if I could draw like dat 

 I'd quit d'sea." 



I was flattered and happy to make a drawing of his head. There was still 

 plenty of dayhght. I'd draw out on deck. We were only two days away from 

 the Equator, and that damn Maverick hadn't shut up for a week about "Hey 

 you — wait'U Fadder Neptune comes aboard down on d'Hne. Wait'U dat red- 

 headed gal, dat daughter o' his, gets ya. She's a hot baby. Haw — " 



The fat Sauing Man with great relish had explained to Mush and me finally 

 what real keelhauling was. "Well, the way they used to do it in d'old days, 

 they'd tie a line — a long hne — around your middle, see. Then they'd tie 

 annuder on the other side of ya. Then a couple of men would throw ya over 

 side, holding onto the line o'course and them what's holding the other line 

 would drag it around and under the stem and they'd haul you down under 

 the keel of the ship and then haul you up. That's all." 



"That's aU? Hell, didn't that drown the guys?" 



"No, not always. They had a line tied to 'em, I tol' you." 



"Didn't it hurt — didn't they get caught in the propellers — ?" 



The Fat Guy took his pipe out of his mouth and spat on the deck. 



"Those ships didn't have no propellers. Oh, they might have got scraped a 

 bit 'ginst d'barnacles, but they'd pull 'em up gasping like and half-drowned 

 — if they had any life left in 'em." 



Mush and I shuddered and walked off. 



"Did you think he meant that? Wonder if that old bastard is kidding us," 

 Mush asked me. . . . 



