“That is my affair.”
The Dutchman stood gazing at one or the other of us. He then put on his cap and saying, “I vill schmoke a pipe in my bed und tink him out,” he made a step toward his berth.
“I must have your answer by six o’clock,” said the captain.
The mate, taking no notice of Greaves’ remark, entered his berth and closed the door.
Greaves and I were silent upon the man’s behavior; he was so absolutely and helplessly in the power of his captain that the sense of fairplay would not suffer us to speak of him.
“I will tell Jimmy,” said Greaves, “to get the slop chest up, and you can overhaul it for the clothes you require. You will want a chest; that can be managed. What else will you require? Your bedroom needs furnishing. I can lend you a razor and give you a hairbrush. Linen and boots you will find among the slops. As to wages—we will arrange it thus: I shall give a written undertaking to each of the crew, on announcing to them the purpose of this voyage. In my undertaking to you, in which I shall state your share, I can name the wages agreed upon—ten pounds a month, starting from to-day, which of course, I will make a note of in my log book. Does this meet your views?”
“Handsomely,” I answered.
He left his seat.
“With your leave, captain,” said I, “it is captain now; it shall be sir anon.”
“No, no,” he interrupted, “not the least need; not as between you and me, Fielding. In the presence of the crew and in the interests of discipline, why, perhaps it had better be an occasional sir for me, you know, and a mister for you, d’ye see? But the words may be uttered with our tongues in our cheeks. What were you going to say?”