“Neber you mind, Dick, as long dey only use der tongue.”
He grinned and pointed with his finger, so that the rest fancied that he was only mocking me as they were.
Notwithstanding this, the fresh air and the necessity of exerting myself did me good, and after I had taken some food that Caesar brought me when the men went into their berth to dinner, I felt quite another creature.
At nightfall I was allowed to slink into my bunk, of which Tom still refused to deprive me.
“I’m very well where I am. I’m accustomed to it, and you are not, Dick,” he said, when I begged him to let me change places.
The next day I was still better, and after this I rapidly recovered my strength, notwithstanding the cuffs and kicks and rope’s-endings I frequently received, and the hard work I had to perform.
My clothes were soon again as dirty as they were when I came out of the hold, and torn and tattered besides.
“Never mind, Dick,” said Tom; “I’ll rig you out in a suit of mine, which I’ll cut down to suit you when we get into colder latitudes. It doesn’t much matter about having old clothes now the weather is so hot.”
Mark regretted that he could not help me, as he had only the clothes he stood up in, which would have been almost as bad as my own had they not been of stronger material, and thus held out better.
Though the rest of the crew ill-treated Mark and me, and Tom also when they had the chance, the captain and officers tyrannised over them in the most brutal fashion. It was no unusual occurrence for the first mate to heave a handspike at one of the men when he did not go about his work in a way to please him, and both captain and mates swore at the men on all occasions in the most fearful way.