A great hulk of a man was lounging over the rail of the poop-deck, looking down over the dock.
I started aft.
"Hist!" the cook motioned me back mysteriously. "Be sure you say 'Sir' to him frequently."
"Beg pardon, sir. But are you Captain Schantze, sir?" (the cook had told me the captain's name).
"Yes. What do you want?"
"I've heard you needed a cabin boy."
"Are you of German descent?"
"No, sir."
"What nationality are you, then?"