FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60  
61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   >>   >|  
ss it," the Swede rumbled. "Put up de dooks. Anyhow, I ban't have to fight little feller. Dat ban one comfort." "You cleared the ship, eh? Well, Swede, I'm glad to hear that. I should have cleared her myself and sailed long ago if I had only had a skipper's ticket; but these British custom-house officials are great sticklers for red tape and they wouldn't clear me. And, of course, a man can't sail without his papers. When he does they send a gunboat after him. However," he added brightly "the ship is cleared and the skipper--so I am unofficially informed--is aboard. By the way, Swede, I left a lot of O.K.'d bills for stores and provision up at the office of the Harlow & Benton Company, Limited. Did you square up for them?" "Yah; everything ban shipshape," All Hands And Feet assured him. "And you insist on presenting your credentials in bunches of fives, eh?" All Hands And Feet nodded and once more commenced sidling toward Matt Peasley, who backed away again, meantime addressing himself to the United States consul: "You heard what he said, Mr. Consul. He may be my superior officer, but I have not been informed of that fact officially; and meantime, so far as I am concerned, he is merely a fine, big squarehead who has climbed aboard my ship uninvited and attacked me. Did you ever see a sea bully licked, Mr. Consul?" "I have never had that pleasure, Mr. Peasley." All the time Matt Peasley was circling around the deck, with All Hands And Feet sidling after him. "Then you've got something coming, sir," Matt replied. "Help yourself to a reserved seat on the rail and watch the joyous procedure. Mr. Murphy?" "Here, sir," Mr. Murphy replied promptly. "I'm going to thrash the big fellow, Mr. Murphy. Stand by to see fair play and keep the crew off him. I observe you have equipped yourself with a belaying-pin. Thank you, Mr. Murphy. You anticipate the situation." He turned to All Hands And Feet, who was still crowding him as they circled the deck. "Stop where you are, my friend; otherwise, Mr. Murphy will crack you on the head with the belaying-pin." All Hands And Feet grinned patronizingly and paused. "Vell?" he queried. "On my ship," Matt continued, "all fights are pulled off under my rules. Kicking, choking, biting, gouging and deadly weapons are prohibited. If you get me down you can use your fists on me, but anything else will necessitate the interference of the referee with his trusty belaying-p
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60  
61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Murphy

 

belaying

 
Peasley
 

cleared

 

meantime

 

Consul

 

sidling

 

aboard

 

replied

 

informed


skipper
 

prohibited

 

circling

 

pleasure

 

gouging

 

biting

 

choking

 

Kicking

 

coming

 

deadly


weapons

 

referee

 

squarehead

 

interference

 

necessitate

 

trusty

 

concerned

 

licked

 

climbed

 
uninvited

attacked

 
patronizingly
 

grinned

 

officially

 

equipped

 

observe

 

queried

 

paused

 

anticipate

 

circled


friend

 

crowding

 

situation

 

turned

 

continued

 

joyous

 

procedure

 
fights
 

pulled

 

reserved