If you vas in der old country ships, a liddle shaver like you vood pe only der boy, und you vood wait on der able seamen. Und ven der able seaman sing out, 'Boy, derwater-jug!' you vood jump quick, like a shot, und bring der water-jug. Und ven derable seaman sing out, 'Boy, my boots!' you vood get der boots. Und you vood pepoliteful, und say 'Yessir' und 'No sir.' But you pe in der American ship, and you t'inkyou are so good as der able seamen. Chris, mine boy, I haf ben a sailorman fortwenty-two years, und do you t'ink you are so good as me? I vas a sailorman peforeyou vas borned, und I knot und reef und splice ven you play mit topstrings und flykites.""But you are unfair, Emil!" cried Chris Farrington, his sensitive face flushed andhurt. He was a slender though strongly built young fellow of seventeen, withYankee ancestry writ large all over him."Dere you go vonce again!" the Swedish sailor exploded. "My name is MisterJohansen, und a kid of a boy like you call me 'Emil!' It vas insulting, und comespecause of der American ship!""But you call me 'Chris'!" the boy expostulated, reproachfully."But you vas a boy.""Who does a man's work," Chris retorted. "And because I do a man's work I haveas much right to call you by your first name as you me. We are all equals in thisfo'castle, and you know it. When we signed for the voyage in San Francisco, wesigned as sailors on the Sophie Sutherland and there was no difference made withany of us. Haven't I always done my work? Did I ever shirk? Did you or any otherman ever have to take a wheel for me? Or a lookout? Or go aloft?""Chris is right," interrupted a young English sailor. "No man has had to do a tap ofhis work yet. He signed as good as any of us and he's shown himself as good-""Better!" broke in a Novia Scotia man. "Better than some of us! When we struckthe sealing-grounds he turned out to be next to the best boat-steerer aboard. OnlyFrench Louis, who'd been at it for years, could beat him. I'm only a boat-puller, andyou're only a boat-puller, too, Emil Johansen, for all your twenty-two years at sea.Why don't you become a boat-steerer?""Too clumsy," laughed the Englishman, "and too slow."4"Little that counts, one way or the other," joined in Dane Jurgensen, coming tothe aid of his Scandinavian brother. "Emil is a man grown and an able seaman; theboy is neither