And he had no intention of slowly starving like the
other orphans of the gutter. Instead he crept down to the docks, and
stowed away on the most imposing ship he could find, dreaming, in his
way, of a life of adventure at sea.
And when the vessel was well out in the Channel, he left his hiding
place and snuck into the captain's cabin, late at night as he paced
the deck. Once inside he worked his fingers to the bone, scrubbing,
polishing, and straightening the room.
The strategy worked. When the captain entered and saw what he was
doing, he beat him half to death, then ordered him chained in the
hold. But after three days he released him and set him to work,
performing tasks of the lowliest kind, with no other pay than a meager
share of salt pork and hard biscuit, and the constant threat of being
thrown over the side.
But to a boy who had never known or expected kindness, it was enough.
He never thought to complain or answer back, except to the cruder
sailors, who thought to use him as a girl. These soon learned that the
knife he carried was no idle threat, and that the boy could not be
cowed.
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