f."

Then the man began to tell that he was a sailor and had been a sailor
for many years. And he had shipped, last on an English vessel bound to
India, and she had got there all right, but had sailed away without him
while he was ashore on leave.

Captain Solomon had to smile at that, though he didn't mean to. And the
man went on to say that he wanted to get a passage to Boston and he
would have been glad to ship as one of the crew, but he understood that
the ship had a full crew and that the captain didn't want any more
sailors, and so he had stowed away. But he was an able seaman and would
be only too grateful for a chance to work with the other sailors if
Captain Solomon pleased, sir.

Then Captain Solomon was very angry, and asked how he heard that he had
a full crew and didn't want any more sailors; and who told him that an
able seaman who wanted to get back to Boston couldn't get a passage on
that ship. And the man wouldn't tell, but Captain Solomon saw that
Ephraim looked very uneasy, so he knew it was Ephraim. And he called
Ephraim, and blew him up sky high, and he said that he had a good mind
to put him and the stowaway both on bread and water for a month. When
little Jacob heard Captain Solomon say that, he stepped forward to
speak, for he couldn't bear to think that men should be put on bread and
water for a month just for that. But little Sol gave him a nudge and
whispered to him not to say anything, for he knew well enough that his
father hadn't any idea of doing it.

And Ephraim and the stowaway both turned pale and looked as if they were
going to be seasick, but they weren't. And after everybody had stood
there without speaking for a good while, Captain Solomon spoke to the
whole crew, who had all come near, and told them that he didn't want any
such actions on his ship again; and if they ever heard of any such case,
he wanted them to come right to him, and he would inquire into it. For
he didn't want them to think that he would ever refuse a passage home to
a good sailor. And he told Ephraim and the stowaway that he would think
about putting them on bread and water, but he wouldn't do it yet. And if
the stowaway did his duty well and proved himself an able seaman he
would try to get pay for him when he got back to Boston and saw his
owners. But if the man wasn't what he said he was, or didn't attend to
his duty, he would be put on bread and water, as sure as his own name
was Solomon, and so would Ep