You'll find I do my duty,' I said; 'how I do it is my lookout; and there's no man born that's going to give me lessons.' Well, there was plenty dirt on board that Maria first and last.

Of course, the old man put my back up, and, of course, he put up the crew's; and I had to regular fight my way through every watch.

The men got to hate me, so's I would hear them grit their teeth when I came up.

At last, one day, I saw a big hulking beast of a Dutchman booting the ship's boy.

I made one shoot of it off the house and laid that Dutchman out.