"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Polly Jones," he replied.
"Polly Jones," I repeated. "That's a girl's name."
"'Tain't my right name. They used to call me Phil at home, but the sailors all call me Polly here, because they say I act like a girl."
"What do you do on board?" I asked with some curiosity.
"I'm the cabin boy and the cook's help. What are you?"
"I don't know what I am yet. I didn't come on board of my own free will."
"You didn't?" Phil Jones's eyes opened to their widest. "You don't look like a sailor."
"Come down here," said I. "I want to have a talk with you."
The cabin boy gave a sharp look about the deck and then hurried into the forecastle.
"I don't want Captain Hannock to see me down here," he explained. "If he did he'd thrash the life out of me."
"Is the captain such a hard man?"
"Is he? Just you wait until something goes wrong and you'll find out quick enough. See here," the cabin boy bared his arm and exhibited several bruises that made me shudder, "he gave me those
