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However, there HE was, dead; and here are the Kanakas as good as lost.
They bummed around at sea like the babes in the wood; and tumbled
end-on upon Tahiti. The consul here took charge. He offered the berth to
Williams; Williams had never had the smallpox and backed down. That was
when I came in for the letter paper; I thought there was something up
when the consul asked me to look in again; but I never let on to you
fellows, so's you'd not be disappointed. Consul tried M'Neil; scared of
smallpox. He tried Capirati, that Corsican and Leblue, or whatever his
name is, wouldn't lay a hand on it; all too fond of their sweet lives.
Last of all, when there wasn't nobody else left to offer it to, he
offers it to me. "Brown, will you ship captain and take her to Sydney?"
says he. "Let me choose my own mate and another white hand," says I,
"for I don't hold with this Kanaka crew racket; give us all two months'
advance to get our clothes and instruments out of pawn, and I'll take
stock tonight, fill up stores, and get to sea tomorrow before dark!"
That's what I said. "That's good enough," says the consul, "and you
can count yourself damned lucky, Brown," says he. And he said it pretty
meaningful-appearing, too. However, that's all one now. I'll ship Huish
before the mast--of course I'll let him berth aft--and I'll ship you
mate at seventy-five dollars and two months' advance.'
'Me mate? Why, I'm a landsman!' cried Herrick.
'Guess you've got to learn,' said the captain. 'You don't fancy I'm
going to skip and leave you rotting on the beach perhaps? I'm not that
sort, old man. And you're handy anyway; I've been shipmates with worse.'
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