He joined them and learned that they were all waiting for work, and that they expected the contractor along in a few minutes.
The boss soon made his appearance and commenced reading from a slip of paper: "I want ten men at such a dock, five men at another place, eight men at another place and twenty-five men at the dry docks." The crowd separated itself into gangs, Paul joining the one that was called last.

As the men passed the contractor, each one was handed a slip.

When Paul's turn came to get his slip, the contractor looked at him curiously and said: "Why, you are an American volunteer, what do you want here ?" "I want work," answered Paul, "and pretty badly too." "Well," said the contractor: "I am sorry that I have no better job to give you today, but by to-morrow I will have something better." Paul followed the gang to the dry docks where a large steamer had been hauled up.

On exhibiting his piece of paper to the foreman, he received a three cornered scraper, a piece of sharp steel with a handle about eighteen inches long.

He was told off to a certain plank suspended by ropes down the side of the vessel in company with two old dock rats who eyed him rather sullenly as though he was an intruder.