"
"Dot ban't none o' your business, Peasley," Kjellin protested. "Dot
is der first mate's job. You ban fired."
"Yes, I know. Now I'm back-firing," Matt retorted.
Fifteen minutes later he had Cappy Ricks on the long-distance
telephone.
"Mr. Ricks," he began, "this is Peasley talking from Eureka. I have
to report that I'm fired out of the Quickstep. I'm not complaining
about that or asking you to reinstate me, because I can get another
job now, but I want to tell you why I was fired. The captain got a
grouch against me coming up. We had a nor'west gale on our port
counter and she rolled and bucked until even some of the crew got
seasick. I'm ashamed to say I fell by the wayside myself for a few
minutes, and Captain Kjellin caught me draped over the weather bridge
railing. So I guess he thought I wasn't much of a seaman. Anyhow he
picked on me from then on, and a little while ago he ordered me to
mule shingles with the longshoremen in the after hold. I couldn't do
that, Mr. Ricks. I'm a ship's officer, and besides you've simply got
to have somebody to watch the slings when they're coming into the ship
at the rate of two a minute or somebody will get hurt, and then the
vessel will be sued for damages. You see we were working overtime and
in a hurry to get loaded--"
"I see everything," Cappy retorted.
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