dy,
seldom entered into conversation, but sat apart, as if thinking, with a
frown upon his countenance, and his eyes, surmounted with bushy
eyebrows, fixed upon the ground. The pensioners who belonged to the same
ward said that he talked in his sleep, and from what they could collect
at those times he must have been a pirate; but no one dared to speak to
him on the subject, for more than once he had been punished for striking
those who had offended him; indeed, he nearly killed one old man who was
jesting with him when he was at work, having made a stab at him with his
knife screwed in his socket, but his foot slipped and the blow missed.
Spicer was brought up before the council for this offense, and would
have been discharged had he not declared that he had done it only by way
of a joke to frighten the man; and, as no one else was present, it could
not be proved to the contrary. For some reason or another, which I could
not comprehend, Spicer appeared to have taken a liking to me; he would
call me to him, and tell me stories about the West Indies and the
Spanish Main, which I listened to very eagerly, for they were to me
very interesting. But he seldom, if ever, spoke to me inside of the
hospital; it was always when I was at the steps minding my vocation,
where he would come down and lean over the rail at the top of the wharf.
He made and gave me a boat-hook, which I found very convenient. He had a
great deal of information, and as the ships came up the river he would
point out the flags of the different nations, tell me where they traded
from, and what their cargoes probably consisted of. If they had no
ensign he would tell by their build and the cut of their sails what
nation they belonged to, pointing out to me the differences, which I
soon began to perceive. He had been in every part of the world, and
scarcely a day passed in which I did not gain from him some amusing or
useful information. Indeed, I became so fond of his company that Peter
Anderson spoke to me on the subject, and asked me what Spicer talked
about. I told him, and he replied:

"Well, Jack, I daresay that he is a very pleasant companion to one who,
like you, is so anxious for information, and I have nothing to say
against him, for we have no right to listen to foolish reports which may
probably have been raised from his savage appearance. Still, I confess I
do not like the man, as he is decidedly of a violent temper. As long as
he talks to you about