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THE STEEL FLEA

Englishmen approach to invite him to come below to a warm place; but he, in order that they might not annoy him, even began to fend them off by means of a lie.

"No," he answered, "I feel better outside—but under cover the rolling of the ship gives me porpoises."

Thus he never went below the whole time, until a certain occasion, and thereby greatly pleased a certain half-skipper,[1] who, to the misfortune of our left-handed man, was able to speak Russian. This half-skipper could never overcome his amazement that a Russian landlubber could so withstand all rough weather.

"Fine fellow!" says he, "Russian—let's have a drink!" The left-handed man drank. And the half-skipper says: "Again!"

  1. By substituting an l for a d the old gunsmith turns "under-skipper" into "half-skipper."