“We have no Sundays aboard here, and don’t carry church steeples at our mast-heads,” cried the former, again laughing at his own wit as he considered it.
He and his mate were in a merry mood, for they had just had one successful voyage, and as the weather was fine they hoped to make another. The captain himself had taken a parting-glass or two with his friends on shore. So little Peter found him and his mate in their best humour.
“Do you hear, boy?” cried the captain, seeing that Peter did not move; “go forward and see what they have got for you to do.”
Peter did not know where forward was, but observing the direction in which the captain was looking, supposed it to be at the other end of the ship.
“I left my bundle down-stairs there, sir; shall I take it with me?” he asked.
Again the captain and mate laughed. Of course they felt their superiority to the poor ignorant little shepherd-boy.
“We have no down-stairs here, no more than we have Sundays; but your bundle is not to stop in my cabin, I should think. Get it and take it with you.”
Peter, having got his bundle from below, went forward, accompanied by old Jim.
“Now, lads,” said the latter to the four unkempt beings who formed the crew of the Polly, “here is a boy for you, and just see he don’t go overboard or run away; the skipper is tired of getting lads to do your work.”
The men looked at little Peter and grinned. “Now, boy,” said old Jim, turning to Peter, “come below and I’ll show you your berth. You must keep your eyes wide open, or may be you will not see it.”