“Thirty years. I started in as a cabin boy when I was fourteen years old and I’ve been at it ever since.”
“You ought to know about all there is to know about it, I should think,” said Fred.
“Without boasting at all, I can safely say that I do know a lot about the business,” said Captain Dodge, smilingly. “I’ve done about all there is to do on a ship, I guess.”
“And you’ve had some wonderful experiences,” suggested Grant.
“Yes, I have,” said the captain smilingly.
“Will you tell us about them sometime?”
“I should be glad to,” said the captain readily. “Not now, though, for, as you can see, I am pretty busy,” and the bluff sailor hurried away, shouting orders to his men, who all seemed to like him and take delight in carrying out his commands as quickly as possible.
“Captain Dodge isn’t much like the sea captains we used to read about in the old story books, is he?” remarked Grant Jones.
“Why not?” demanded Pop Sanders. “He certainly looks like a sailor.”
“I know that,” agreed Grant, “but I meant the kind of a man the crew all hated and feared and who used to give them the rope’s end every time they did anything he didn’t like.”