But under any ordinary circumstances you couldn't shake the man's nerve,
and he was fit to go anywhere, and do anything so far as the sea was
concerned.
The Esperanza got up to her consorts, and then the usual toilsome
monotony of the fisherman's life began. At the end of a month Joe looked
a pretty object, for he had not washed himself all the time, and his
hair and beard were like rough felt matting. There isn't much time for
washing in the winter, and the fellows often go for a couple of months
without feeling any water, except from the seas that are shipped. After
the month was over the men began to pick up heart, and they notched off
the days on the beams with much enjoyment.
Joe was like most of the fishermen: he liked to talk to the gulls. You
see, when you are knocking around for a couple of months, you soon tire
of your own shipmates, and there is no one else to talk with. The sea
mostly makes it awkward to put out a boat except for purely business
purposes, and you gradually get into the way of taking delight in small
things.
Pages:
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207