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A collection of Jack London sea stories.
CHRIS FARRINGTON: ABLE SEAMAN (Excerpt)
"If you vas in der old country ships, a liddle shaver like you vood pe only der boy, und you vood wait on der able seamen. Und ven der able seaman sing out, 'Boy, der water-jug!' you vood jump quick, like a shot, und bring der water-jug. Und ven der able seaman sing out, 'Boy, my boots!' you vood get der boots. Und you vood pe politeful, und say 'Yessir' und 'No sir.' But you pe in der American ship, and you t'ink you are so good as der able seamen. Chris, mine boy, I haf ben a sailorman for twenty-two years, und do you t'ink you are so good as me? I vas a sailorman pefore you vas borned, und I knot und reef und splice ven you play mit topstrings und fly kites."
"But you are unfair, Emil!" cried Chris Farrington, his sensitive face flushed and hurt. He was a slender though strongly built young fellow of seventeen, with Yankee ancestry writ large all over him...
About the author
Jack London, born John Griffith Chaney on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California, was an American novelist, journalist, and activist. He is considered a pioneer of commercial fiction and a key figure in the rise of American magazines. London became one of the first American authors to achieve international fame and wealth through his writing. His works, which often explored themes of survival, individualism, and nature, were heavily influenced by thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, and Karl Marx. London married twice; his first wife was Elizabeth Maddern, whom he married in 1900 and divorced in 1904, and his second wife was Charmian London, whom he married in 1905 and remained with until his death. He had two daughters, Joan and Becky London. Jack London's adventurous spirit was reflected in his personal life, as well as in his writing, where he drew from his own experiences, including his time in the Klondike and his travels around the world. He passed away at the age of 40 on November 22, 1916, in Glen Ellen, California.
