Adroitly ducking like one well accustomed to such greetings, and thereby allowing the flying missile to crash against the side of Phil’s bunk, Ebenezer grinned to show his appreciation of the captain’s playfulness, and answered: “Yes, sah. Dreckly, in free minute, sah.”
“Three minutes, ye black swab! See that it’s on the table inside of one minute, or I’ll have ye cut into fish-chum, and make halibut bait of your heart.”
“Berry good, sah,” responded Ebenezer, still grinning, though his eyes rolled wildly at this horrible threat, as he hastily shuffled from the cabin backward like a crab. Not until he gained the shelter of the passage did he cease to watch the captain’s every movement. Then he turned and fled precipitately to the galley. Here he felt as safe as though in a fortified castle, for the passage was too narrow to be successfully navigated by so beamy a craft as the Seamew’s master, and when that autocrat of the ship was on deck the cook took good care to keep the galley hatch closed and fastened on the inside.
At Ebb’s flight, Captain Duff chuckled hoarsely, and muttered to himself, “That’s the way to fix ’em.”
“Good-morning, sir,” remarked Phil at this moment.
“Eh! What’s that?” demanded the captain, whirling around with surprising agility for a man of his size. “Why aren’t you on deck, ye landlubber? I want you to understand that I don’t allow no skulking below at this time o’ day.”
“Very well, sir. I’ll go just as quick as I get my shoes on. I don’t suppose you want me to do so barefooted.”
“Barefooted, or web-footed, or club-footed, or without any feet at all! What is it to me how ye go, so long as ye do go!” roared the captain. “Am I master of this ship, I’d like to know, or am I only a howling figure-head?”
“You certainly are, sir,” replied Phil, as with shoes in hand he moved towards the companion-way. “And I am certain that no one who is acquainted with you would doubt it for a moment.”