"Sure, an' ye do better nor some o' thim foreigners already," he declared. "Kape it up an' we'll git along foine together." Captain Hadley and Andrew Shalley watched the work for several minutes, and then walked to the cabin of the steamboat. Here the owner of the boat told something about Randy. "I want you to give him a chance even if he is a bit green," said he. "I want the lad to get along." "He shall have all the chance possible," answered Captain Hadley. "I am glad to get a hand who is intelligent." Then the two conversed upon private matters until the boat was ready to leave Nyack. "Good-by, my boy!" cried Mr. Shalley, on leaving. "Take good care of yourself, and let me know how you get along." "Thank you, I will," answered our hero. "It may be hard work at first, but you'll get used to it." "I am not afraid of hard work." "The captain will give you a uniform in a few days." The gangplanks were hauled in, the lines cast off, and with a hoarse whistle the _Helen Shalley_ continued on her course down the Hudson. There was a small Italian band on board, consisting of two violins, a harp and a clarionet, and they struck up a popular air. The work at the dock had somewhat exhausted Randy, who was not used to handling such heavy stuff so quickly, but he took pains to conceal his feelings. "I am not going to back down, no matter how hard the work is," he told himself. "Others can do it and so can I." Among the deckhands was a tall, limber American man named Jones. He came up to Randy after the work was done. "Malloy told me to show you around the boat and give you some pointers," said Jones. "Come ahead." They passed from one end of the steamboat to the other, through all of the three decks, and Jones named over the various parts and told what the deckhands were expected to do. Then they went below and he told of some work there. Lastly he took Randy to the sleeping quarters. "This is my bunk," said Jack Jones. "That will be yours over there. When you get the chance, I'll advise you to air your bedding. You can do it after we tie up in New York and the passengers go ashore." The quarters were small, but not any smaller than Randy's garret apartment in the cottage. Everything was kept as clean as wax, for both Malloy and Jones were enemies to dirt. Randy was glad to learn this and resolved to give the others no cause for complaint regarding his own personal habits. "Some boats are very dirty and the bunks not fit for a dog to sleep in," said Jack Jones. "But Malloy won't allow it on this boat, and I won't have it either." "And I am with you," answered our hero. "Came from a farm, didn't you?" "Yes, but our family wasn't on the farm long." "I came from a farm myself." "How long have you been on this boat?" "Came the middle of last season." "Do you like it?" "If I didn't I shouldn't be here." "I suppose that is so." "Captain Hadley is a fine man to work for. He is strict but fair, and that is what I like."