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Farrar, Frederic William, 1831-1903

"Eric"

"
"I've got nothing to pay with. I brought no money with me."
"Well, then, you shall give us your gran' clothes. Them things isn't fit
for a cabin-boy."
Eric saw no remedy, and making a virtue of necessity, exchanged his good
cloth suit for a rough sailor's shirt and trowsers, not over clean,
which the captain gave him. His own clothes were at once appropriated by
that functionary, who carried them into his cabin. But it was lucky for
Eric that, seeing how matters were likely to go, he had succeeded in
secreting his watch.
The day grew misty and comfortless, and towards evening the wind rose to
a storm. Eric soon began to feel very sick, and, to make his case worse,
could not endure either the taste, smell, or sight of such coarse food
as was contemptuously flung to him.
"Where am I to sleep?" he asked, "I feel very sick."
"Babby," said one of the sailors, "what's your name?"
"Williams."
"Well, Bill, you'll have to get over your sickness pretty soon, _I_ can
tell ye. Here," he added, relenting a little, "Davey's slung ye a
hammock in the forecastle.


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