The same is true of the 'midship-house. Every room in it, with the
exception of the cook's and the sail-makers' (which open for'ard on
Number Two hatch), is soaking. And they have no fires in their rooms
with which to dry things out.
I peeped into Charles Davis's room. It was terrible. He grinned to
me and nodded his head.
"It's just as well O'Sullivan wasn't here, sir," he said. "He'd a-
drowned in the lower bunk. And I want to tell you I was doing some
swimmin' before I could get into the top one. And salt water's bad
for my sores. I oughtn't to be in a hole like this in Cape Horn
weather. Look at the ice, there, on the floor. It's below freezin'
right now in this room, and my blankets are wet, and I'm a sick man,
as any man can tell that's got a nose."
"If you'd been decent to the mate you might have got decent treatment
in return," I said.
"Huh!" he sneered. "You needn't think you can lose me, sir. I can
grow fat on this sort of stuff. Why, sir, when I think of the court
doin's in Seattle I just couldn't die.
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