FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  
a spune. "A bad business, says Kelly, a bad business! There's faur too miny av thim British sailormin makin' trouble on th' Front. It's tin dallars, says he, tin dallars 'r fourteen days! "Ah saw Daly git up frae th' sate an' he his a long confab wi' yer man, but jist then yer auld watchman tramps in, an' efter speirin' aboot he ups an' peys th' fine, an' they let yer man oot. Ah seen th' twa o' them gang aff wi' Daly, an' Ah couldna verra weel ha'e onythin' tae dae wi' them when he wis bye." This was James's news; he was not surprised to learn that they had not returned to the ship, and, as he passed on, on his way to the jetty steps, muttered, "Weel, it's a gey peety they had that five dollars ower much, for Ah doot they'll baith be under th' 'Blue Peter' before th' morn's mornin'." When we knocked off for the day we were soon ashore looking for the wanderers, and early found plain evidence that they had been celebrating John's 'convalescence' and release. An Italian orange-seller whom we met had distinct memory of two seafaring gentlemen purchasing oranges and playing 'bowls' with them in the gutter of a busy street; a Jewish outfitter and his assistants were working well into the night, rearranging oilskins and sea-boots on the ceiling of a disordered shop, and a Scandinavian dame, a vendor of peanuts, had a tale of strange bargainings to tell. Unable to find them, we returned to the ship. One of us had to keep Martin's watch, and the Mate was already on the track of the affair with threatenings of punishment for the absent watchman. About ten we heard a commotion on the dock side, and looked over to see the wanderers, accompanied by all the 'larrikins' of 'sailor-town,' making for the ship. Two policemen in the near background were there to see that no deliberate breach-of-the-peace took place. Martin, hard-headed Old Martin, who stood drink better than the Welshman, was singing '_Bound away to the West'ard in th' Dreadnought we go_' in the pipingest of trebles, and Welsh John, hardly able to stand, was defying the Dutch, backed by numberless Judge Kellys, and inviting them to step up, take off their jackets and come on. XII ON THE SACRAMENTO After our cargo was discharged we left Mission Wharf for an anchorage in the Bay, and there--swinging flood and ebb--we lay in idleness. There were many ships in the anchorage, and many more laid up at Martinez and Saucilito, for the year's
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Martin
 

returned

 

wanderers

 
watchman
 

anchorage

 

business

 

dallars

 

larrikins

 

sailor

 

disordered


accompanied

 
looked
 

deliberate

 
making
 
background
 

oilskins

 

policemen

 

ceiling

 

rearranging

 

Scandinavian


breach

 

bargainings

 

strange

 

affair

 

vendor

 
commotion
 

Unable

 

punishment

 

threatenings

 

absent


peanuts

 

SACRAMENTO

 
discharged
 

jackets

 

Mission

 

Martinez

 

Saucilito

 

idleness

 

swinging

 

inviting


Kellys
 
Welshman
 

singing

 

headed

 

defying

 
backed
 

numberless

 
Dreadnought
 
pipingest
 

trebles