I contracted to be master of the ship
_Good Sister_, the same to go to Hong-Kong Manila, Singapore,
and return.
"You go up to 'Frisco and 'list the crew," he says. "I'm coming
myself by-and-by to look 'em over."
It was my first ship, and long ago, but the pride of it sticks out
of me yet.
I went back to 'Frisco and hired Stevey Todd for cook, and I
recollect taking for ship's carpenter the man that called me a
"tallow little runt," which he got misled, there, and he went by the
name of "Mitchigan." I took Kamelillo too, who wanted to go to sea
again, but Kreps stayed where he was.
On the day the _Good Sister_ sailed, Sadler came aboard with a
valise in his hand, and after him, carrying a valise, was Irish, and
after Irish was an old Burmese servant of Fu Shan's that I used to
see sweeping the porch, whose name was Maya Dala.
"I'm going along," says Sadler, and Irish says, "Soime here." But
neither of them said what for, and I thought maybe Sadler was
thinking he'd see me safe through the first trip, or maybe it
occurred to him to go and take a look at Asia. How should I know?
We went through the Golden Gate that afternoon, and we sat that
night in the cabin, while Maya Dala and Irish cleared the table.
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