They were soon seated in the parlour of an inn, where Jack seemed to be well known. There was a foaming tankard in front of the sailor and one by Kep, which he pretended to sip, but fought shy of.
Kep told Jack little bits about himself, but no more than Jack could conveniently swallow.
"Have you been much abroad, sir?" said Kep. The "sir" almost stuck in the boy's throat, but then, this man had many stripes on his sleeve, and Kep thought it as well to err on the safe side.
"Been kicked about a lot, sonny, if that's what you mean. I'm eight and twenty, and next commission may be my last--"
"Why, you think you'll be drowned then?"
"No, no, lad, only if I do two years more, my time will be about up, but I'll join on again, 'cause I dearly love the sea. I say, young fellow, you're not drinking yours."
"Never meant to. Ordered it for company's sake."
"Thought so. There's a pal o' mine in the bar, he could let daylight inside that tankard if your lordship will allow me to call him in."
"Certainly--delighted."
The pal, a young man, clean-shaven and very baggy about the lower garments, did let daylight into the tankard after nodding frankly to Kep.