Boy by James Hanley

Author:James Hanley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Tags: doncarlos
ISBN: 9781847492647
Publisher: Alma Books
Published: 2012-12-01T20:00:00+00:00

9

Fearon wrote home that night:

Dear Father and Mother,

By the time you get this letter I will be in Alexandria. I stowed away in the SS Herman, one of the Morrell boats. I thought for a time that I would be landed ashore and put in jail until there was a returning ship that could take me home. Fortunately one of the sailors died of a fit, and the next day the Captain said I was to sign on as an ordinary seaman. I like my work. It is not as dirty as the job I had down at the docks which Dad got me. The food is good and there is plenty of it. I was terribly worried for a long time, wondering what you would be thinking. What you would make out of my disappearance. But I’m glad that in a day or two we will be in port. I feel well in health, although for the first few days I was really very ill, and totally unable either to work or eat. That is all past now and I am happy. Dear Father and Mother, I am not angry with you both because you held me back from the very thing I wanted to do. I did not even wish to go to sea originally. I wanted one thing only. That was to be a chemist. I hated my jobs at home. I was fed up. I am not even angry with Father for nearly killing me that morning. I was however determined to get out of it and make my own road in this world. I have succeeded. The Captain here is rather a nice sort of man and he said that if I worked hard I would have a job in these ships for life. The boatswain is a very rough person, though I am hoping that we will always agree. Of course all these sailors seem to be very rough men. They are kind though. The only man I hate on the ship is the steward. I thought at one time that the cook was terrible. But perhaps that was because I was so ill and sick. Also I was nearly killed, for I had stowed away in the coal bunkers. It was when one of the trimmers was loading up his barrow that I was found out. I came tumbling down with a great load of coal on top of me. I was taken to the ship’s hospital. After I got over that I was sent to see the Captain. He said I was liable to imprisonment for stowing away. I had to do all kinds of odd jobs, because he said the company never thought of giving stowaways a free sea trip. Most of the men were rotten drunk. First few nights I couldn’t sleep as men were interfering with me. When one night the cook started to interfere, I reported him to the Chief Officer. He is not a bad man. He had me placed in a room by myself, which used to be the ordinary seaman’s room.

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