Part 2

Chapter 2

The next morning clay powdered the planks below the hammock in which Henry and I lay naked. All around, tars were rolling out of their own hammocks, and their curiosity soon fell upon us. They gathered around speculating. "You look not a whit as dangerous as ye are," said Toes, as we had learned the tar who saved us was named.

"This funny friend have name?" asked the new Quartermaster, a short muscular fellow hailing from Baghdad. Behind him stood the new Captain, a lanky blond English fellow who could easily see over the Quartermaster's head. We could hear above us, on deck, the scrape and click of Willie's norwhale tusk leg as he puttered about. probably ruminating over mathematics and logic, as was his habit that week. "You got a funny friend," the Quartermaster continued. Then he tossed his face upward and made an odd sound, a yodeling accompanied by tounge trills.

"Pretty!" said the Captain, and I wasn't sure whether he referred to Henry, or to me, or both. He leaned his elbows onto the shoulders of the Quartermaster and leered down at us over the Quartermaster's pate. "He might have made a fine cabin boy, but alas ye appear to have 'em broke in all wrong, Yellow Mol !"

"Mayhap ye could find a place for me as a deckhand?" asked Henry, rolling to the floor with a thump, scattering powdered clay everywhither. "I'd be most useful for tasks at night when others are asleep -- a fine lookout at the crow's nest f'instance!"

"We'll call the rest of the crew down for a vote after they've finished their breakfast. Afraid they've appropriated the greens you brought on board last night, Moll. It should add some good spice to the fish and frog's legs."

~~~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~~~~~~~

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