The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval Lieutenant — John Shaqi
The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval LieutenantCupples, George
General
The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval Lieutenant
Cupples, George
Sea stories; Seafaring life -- Juvenile fiction; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction
"Now, one day, the third voy'ge from that time, no sooner does we get up
to Blackwall than we hears of a strong press from the men-o'-war; and as
I'd got a desperate mislike to the sarvice, there was a lot of us
marchantmen kept stowed away close in holes an' corners till we could
suit ourselves. At last we got well tired, and a shipmate o' mine and I
wanted to go and see our sweethearts over in the town. So we hired the
slops from a Jew, and makes ourselves out to be a couple o' watermen,
with badges to suit, a-carrying of a large parcile and a ticket on it.
In the afternoon we came back again within sight of the Tower, where we
saw the coast was clear, and makes a fair wind along Rosemary Lane and
Cable Street. Just then we saw a tall young fellow, in a brown coat, an'
a broad-brim hat, a-standing in the door of a shop, with a paper under
his arm, on the look-out for someone. 'Twig the Quaker, Bob!' my
shipmate says to me. As soon as he saw us, out the Quaker steps, and
says he to Bill, in a sleepy sort of a v'ice, 'Friend, thou'rt a
waterman, I b'lieve?' 'Yes,' says Bill, with an oath, 'that's what we
hails for. D'ye want a boat, master?' 'Swear not, friend,' says the
broad-brim; 'but what I want is this, you see. We have a large vessel,
belonging to our house, for to send to Havannah, and willin' to give
double wages, but we can't find any marineers at this present time for
to navigate. Now,' says he, 'I s'pose this onfortunate state o' things
is on account of the sinful war as is a-goin' on--they're afraid of the
riskses. Hows'ever, my friends,' says he, 'perhaps, as you knows the
river, thee could put us upon a way of engagin' twenty or more bold
marineers, as is not afeared of venturing for good pay?' and with this
he looks into his papers; and says Bill, 'Well, sir, I don't know any
myself--do you, Bob?' and he gives me a shove, and says under the rose,
'No fear, mate,' says Bill, 'he's all over green--don't slip the chance
for all hands of us at Jobson's.' 'Why, master,' I says, 'what 'ud ye
give them marineers you speaks on, now?' 'Four pound a month, friend,'
says he, looking up; 'but we gives tea in place of spirits, and we must
have steady men. We can't wait, neither,' says he, 'more nor three days,
or the vessel won't sail at all.' 'My eye!' says Bill, ''twon't do to
miss, Bob!--stick to him, that's all.' 'Well, sir,' I says, 'I thinks I
does have a notion of some'at of the sort. If you sends your papers to
Jobson's Tavern to-night, second lane 'twixt Barnaby Street and the Blue
Anchor Road, over the water, why, I might get ye as many hands for to
sign as you wants.' 'Thanks, friend,' says the young broad-brim, 'I
will attend to thine advice.' So he bids us good-day, and stepped into
his door again. 'Bill,' says I, as we went off, 'now I think on it, I
can't help a notion I've seen that chap's face afore.' 'Very like,' says
Bill; 'for the matter o' that, 'tis the same with me--them broad-brims
is so much of a piece.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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