The Sandman: His Sea Stories  by Willliam J. Hopkins

The Stowaway Story

NCE upon a time there was a wide river that ran into the ocean, and beside it was a little city. And in that city was a wharf where great ships came from far countries. And a narrow road led down a very steep hill to that wharf, and anybody that wanted to go to the wharf had to go down the steep hill on the narrow road, for there wasn't any other way. And because ships had come there for a great many years, and all the sailors and all the captains and all the men who had business with the ships had to go on that narrow road, the flagstones that made the sidewalks were much worn.

That wharf and all the ships that sailed from it belonged to Captain Jonathan and Captain Jacob; and after they had moved their office to Boston the ships sailed from a wharf in Boston. And once, in the long ago, the brig Industry  had sailed from the wharf in Boston, and she had got to that far country and all the things that she had brought there had been taken out of her and sold. And Captain Solomon had bought the things that she would carry back to Boston, but they were not loaded on the Industry  yet. And Captain Solomon had gone off with little Jacob and little Sol to see some elephants, for he thought the mate could attend to loading the ship. After Captain Solomon had gone off, the sailors who had rowed him ashore stood there for a few minutes looking after the dust that the bullocks kicked up, and then they turned to get into the boat again. And one of the sailors, who was named Ephraim, saw a man coming toward them, and he knew the man, for the man was a sailor, too, and he and Ephraim had sailed together a long while before, but not in the Industry. So he waited for the man to come, and the man and Ephraim were glad to see each other and Ephraim asked him where he came from and what ship he was on. For no other ship was in the river at that time.

Then the man said that he had sailed in a ship from England, but the ship had gone off without him while he was ashore; and he wanted to get back to Boston, for he hadn't been there for several years. And he asked Ephraim if there was a chance to be a sailor on the Industry. But Ephraim said that they had a full crew and there wasn't any chance, for the old man was very strict. He called Captain Solomon the old man, but he wasn't an old man at all, for he wasn't quite forty years old; but sailors always call the captain the old man. And Ephraim was afraid of Captain Solomon, but he needn't have been afraid, for Captain Solomon was a kind man, although he was rather gruff and stern to the sailors.

And so Ephraim advised the man to try to stow himself away on the Industry  until she was clear of the land and on blue water, and then to come out and see what would happen. For he knew that Captain Solomon wouldn't go back just to land the man, and he couldn't throw him overboard. And the man said that he would do that, and he thought he should be able to stow away when the ship was loading, but he would have to depend upon Ephraim to feed him for a few days. And Ephraim said that he would, and the man went away and the sailors rowed the boat back to the Industry.

So the sailors began to load the ship with all the things that Captain Solomon had bought, and many little boats began to go back and forth and there was a good deal of confusion. And in the confusion of the loading the man managed to stow himself away on the Industry;  and he was in the hold of the ship, as far forward as he could get, so that Ephraim could bring him food and water without much trouble. And the sailors got all the things aboard, and Captain Solomon came back with little Jacob and little Sol. And they got the things to eat on board, and the water that they would drink, and when everything was ready they hoisted up the anchor from the bottom of the river, and they hoisted the sails, and they sailed away down the river and out into the great ocean. And on the second day out, the stowaway came out and worked with the other sailors.

He was in the hold of the ship.

And Captain Solomon was on the quarter deck, looking out over the ocean and at the ship and at the sailors, and he saw the stowaway.

"Who is that man and where did he come from?" he said to the mate.

And the mate looked and saw the man, and he didn't know. "I'm sure I don't know, sir," answered the mate.

"Call him up," said Captain Solomon.

So the mate called him and he came and stood at the foot of the steps that led to the quarter deck, and Captain Solomon stood at the head of the steps with his hand upon the railing. And the man stood first upon one foot and then upon the other and he looked very uncomfortable.

"Aye, aye, sir," said the man; and he touched his cap.

And Captain Solomon didn't say anything for a long time, but he looked the man over from head to foot, and he looked very fierce and stern, so that the man was more uncomfortable than ever. And little Jacob and little Sol stood just behind Captain Solomon.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" asked Captain Solomon. "Give an account of yourself."

Then the man began to tell that he was a sailor and had been a sailor for many years. And he had shipped, last, on an English vessel bound to India, and she had got there all right, but had sailed away without him while he was ashore on leave.

Captain Solomon had to smile at that, though he didn't mean to. And the man went on to say that he wanted to get a passage to Boston and he would have been glad to ship as one of the crew, but he understood that the ship had a full crew and that the captain didn't want any more sailors, and so he had stowed away. But he was an able seaman and would be only too grateful for a chance to work with the other sailors if Captain Solomon pleased, sir.

Then Captain Solomon was very angry, and asked how he heard that he had a full crew and didn't want any more sailors; and who told him that an able seaman who wanted to get back to Boston couldn't get a passage on that ship. And the man wouldn't tell, but Captain Solomon saw that Ephraim looked very uneasy, so he knew it was Ephraim. And he called Ephraim, and blew him up sky high, and he said that he had a good mind to put him and the stowaway both on bread and water for a month. When little Jacob heard Captain Solomon say that, he stepped forward to speak, for he couldn't bear to think that men should be put on bread and water for a month just for that. But little Sol gave him a nudge and whispered to him not to say anything, for he knew well enough that his father hadn't any idea of doing it.

And Ephraim and the stowaway both turned pale and looked as if they were going to be seasick, but they weren't. And after everybody had stood there without speaking for a good while, Captain Solomon spoke to the whole crew, who had all come near, and told them that he didn't want any such actions on his ship again; and if they ever heard of any such case, he wanted them to come right to him, and he would inquire into it. For he didn't want them to think that he would ever refuse a passage home to a good sailor. And he told Ephraim and the stowaway that he would think about putting them on bread and water, but he wouldn't do it yet. And if the stowaway did his duty well and proved himself an able seaman he would try to get pay for him when he got back to Boston and saw his owners. But if the man wasn't what he said he was, or didn't attend to his duty, he would be put on bread and water, as sure as his own name was Solomon, and so would Ephraim.

Then the sailors all went about their business, and Captain Solomon blew up the mate for letting a man stow away on the Industry. And when Captain Solomon had blown everybody up that he could, he felt very pleasant indeed, and he played with little Sol and little Jacob.

And that's all.