's crockery while you're doing it."

CHAPTER VI. THE SEA! THE SEA!

He left me, then, as he had to watch the men on deck. I felt, when he
went on deck, that the morning had been a nightmare; but now I was to be
flunkey well as slave, a new humiliation. I did not think how many times
I had humiliated others by letting them do such things for me. I had
done so all my life without a thought. Now, forsooth, I was at the point
of tears at having to do it for others, even though one of the others
was my rightful King. Grubbing about among the lockers, I found a canvas
table-cloth, which had once been part of a sail. I spread this cloth
with the breakfast gear, imitating the arrangements made at home at
Oulton. The mate came down some minutes after I had finished. He caught
me sitting down on the top of the lockers, looking out at the ships
through the open port.

"Here," he said roughly. "You've got to learn manners, or I'll have to
teach you. Remember this once for all, my son. No one sits in the cabin
except a captain or a passenger. You'll take your cap off to the cabin
door before I've done with you. Nor you don't sit down till your work's
done. That's another thing. Why ain't you at work?"

"Please, sir," I said, "I've laid the table. What else am I to do?"

"Do," he said. "Give the windows a rub. Then clean your hands, ready to
wait at table. No. Hold on. Have you called Mr. Scott yet?"

"No, sir. I didn't know I had to."

"My," he answered. "Have you any sense at all? Go call them. No. Get
their hot water first at the galley."

I suppose I stared at him; for I did not know that this would be a
duty of mine. "Here. Don't look at me like that," he said. "You make
me forget myself." He went to the locker, in which he rummaged till he
produced a big copper kettle. "Here's the hot water can," he said. "Nip
with it to the galley, before the cook puts his fire out. On deck, boy.
Don't you know where the galley is?"

I did not know where the galley was in this particular ship. I thought
that it would probably be below decks, round a space of brick floor to
prevent fire. But as the mate said "on deck" I ran on deck at once. I
ran on deck, up the hatch, so vigorously, that I charged into a seaman
who was carrying a can of slush, or melted salt fat used in the greasing
of ropes. I butted into him, spattering the slush all over him, besides
making a filthy mess of grease on the deck, then newly cleansed. The
seaman,