Speaking
personally, I may say that I would rather enter a cage of performing
lions than stand up for two rounds with Mr. Billings. He only once was
near The Chequers, and I fear I entertained an unholy desire to see some
of our peculiar and eloquent pugilists raise his ire. Here was a pretty
mass of blackguard manhood for you! Everyone who knew him felt certain
that Jim would be sent to penal servitude in the end for killing some
antagonist with an unlucky blow; no human power seemed capable of
restraining him, and of superhuman powers he only knew one thing--he
knew that you use certain words for cursing purposes.
Over the grey desolation of that cruel North Sea no humanising agency
ever travelled to soften Jim Billings and his like; but there were many
agencies at work to convert the men into brutes.
On calm days there came sinister vessels that sneaked furtively among
the fleet. A little black flag flew from the foretopmast stay of these
ugly visitors, and that was a sign that tobacco and spirits were on sale
aboard.
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