Free The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon

on the sea.”
    “You only think so ’cause you don’t have to work for the cook, ” said Char grumpily. “A couple of weeks of having your ears twisted every time you accidentally burn somethin’, and you might be thinkin’ otherwise.”
    Ven grinned, but his attention was drawn away a moment later by the harsh clanging of the ship’s bell. The crew was beginning to muster, gathering to receive orders from the captain and the first mate.
    He listened to the commands Oliver gave them, then watched as three sailors went aloft on the shrouds of three separate masts as easily as climbing a ladder into a hayloft. The captain, satisfied, turned to Ven.
    “Off to the hold for some sleep, now, Ven,” Oliver said, smiling. “You’ve had a long night, but every man needs his rest on board. Storms come up from nowhere, and sometimes the seas turn rough for no reason at all, so it’s wise to take forty winks whenever you have the chance. You want to have your wits about you.”
    “Aye, sir,” said Ven.
    “A well-rested crew is a safe crew,” Oliver continued jokingly, loud enough so that the crew could hear him. “But the captain, now, the captain can stay up as late as he wants, and drink as much as he wants, because it doesn’t matter what kind of shape he’s in. If something happens, a captain is supposed to go down with his ship anyway. Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”
    A chorus of voices swelled in reply. “Oh, yes, yes, sir.” “Quite right, sir.” “True, true.” “Yes, indeed.”
    An amused look came over the captain’s face. “But, of course, because of their sterling characters, undying loyalty, and superior capacity as human beings, I know that if I were to go down with the ship, my crew would insist on going down with me. Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”
    Once again, the sailors answered in chorus, this time with humor in their voices. “Oh, yes, yes, sir.” “Quite right, sir.” “True, true.” “Yes, indeed.” “Indubitably.” “No question about it, sir.” It was clear to Ven that this was a standard joke between the members of the crew and their captain.
    “Even if there was plenty of room in the lifeboats, to a man they would stay, every one of them, to the bitter end, right, gentlemen?”
    “Oh, yes, yes, sir.” “Quite right, sir.” “True, true.” “Yes, indeed.”
    The captain’s blue eyes twinkled. “In fact, even if we were only a few steps away from the dock, and were sinking in water that was only knee-deep, since I would feel obligated to go down with the ship, they would all go down with me, rather than hop off and wade to shore, isn’t that right, gentlemen?”
    “Oh, yes, yes, sir.” “Quite right, sir.” “True, true.” “Yes, indeed.”
    “Ah, what a great crew,” Oliver said, clapping his hands together. “Can’t beat that, Ven. The loyalty of good, true-hearted men. Men who would stand with you when your back is to the wall.”
    “Aye, aye!” the crew shouted enthusiastically.
    “Men who would go overboard clutching your hand rather than let you fall in alone.”
    “Aye! Aye!”
    “Men who would cut off a leg if you lost one of yours, to keep you from feelin’ bad about it.”
    “Aye! Aye!”
    “Men who would be willing to stand in front of my wife and tell her I forgot her birthday, facing whatever consequences might come about.”
    The sailors fell suddenly silent.
    The captain threw back his head and laughed. “You lily-livered cowards!” he shouted, cuffing the first mate playfully on the back of the head. “You are willing to brave the storms of the seven seas, laugh in the face of impending disaster, sneer at death on a daily basis, and yet you are frightened of my wife?”
    “Oh, yes, yes, sir.” “Quite right, sir.” “True, true.” “Yes, indeed.” The sailors roared with laughter.
    “Did I happen to mention that they are also wise men, Ven?” the captain said merrily.
    Suddenly from the crow’s nest above came