DoG by Unknown Read Free Book Online Page A

object they’d plucked from the ocean.
    Culann leaned against the rail. Thunder growled in the distance. Dark clouds from the south crawled across the water towards the ship. He didn’t look forward to the rough seas they undoubtedly dragged with them.
    Culann turned to see Gus slam the door to the bridge and stalk across the deck, muttering profanely the whole way. He clenched his teeth and fists, and blood flooded his face. Crew members hopped out of his way as he stomped over to the net drum.
    “That’s it,” he growled.
    Worner was the only man brave enough to ask, “What’s it?”
    Gus raked his fingers through the short beard he’d grown over his days at sea.
    “That’s it,” he repeated. “We’re done.”
    “We’re done for the day already?” Worner asked.
    “Not for the day,” Gus replied. “We’re going home.”
    The men howled.
    “We’ve only been gone two-and-a-half weeks,” Frank said with palms upturned.
    “You’re stealing money from my pocket.”
    “I’m not stealing nothing,” Gus said. “It’s the Captain’s call. And besides, you all get your share of what we caught so far.”
    “Yeah, but that’s only half of what we got coming to us,” Worner said, clenching his weathered hands into fists. “Is the Captain going to pay us the difference?”
    “What do you think?” Gus replied.
    “I think he can go fuck himself, and so can you.” McGillicuddy pressed up
    against Gus, towering over him. Culann thought for a moment that the first mate was going to get tossed into the sea. “He can’t jew us out of our shares. I’m gonna set him straight.”
    McGillicuddy shoved Gus aside with a brush of his broad arm. Gus grabbed the arm and yanked McGillicuddy back. He shoved his face into that of the larger man, causing Culann to now worry that McGillicuddy was about to get thrown over the side.
    “You go fuck your self, you dumb Mick,” Gus said “The Captain said that anyone who gives him any shit about this is not going with us next year. And you know damn well that your lazy ass doesn’t have any other worked lined up this summer.”
    McGillicuddy turned away from Gus and headed over to the rail to spit into the ocean.
    “What the hell else are we supposed to do?” Worner asked. “Sell insurance?”
    “That’s not my problem,” Gus replied. “All I know is that if you want to ever work on this ship again, you better leave the Captain alone.”
    37

    “Why’s he doing this?” Frank asked.
    “You think he tells me?” Gus replied. “He just said, ‘Tell them we’re going home.’ I tried arguing, but he told me I’d be out for next year if I didn’t shut up, same as you guys.”
    “How do we even know there’s going to be a next year?” Frank asked.
    “We don’t,” Gus answered. “But I sure as hell can’t take that risk.”
    “I can,” said Worner. “I’m old and I don’t give a fuck. If he wants to blackball me, I can live with that.”
    “Give him hell, Worner,” Frank shouted. “If he doesn’t knock this shit off, we’ll go on strike right now. He can’t get this ship back home by himself.”
    A short cheer of solidarity arose from the crew.
    “Fuck a strike,” McGillicuddy said, turning back to face the crew. “How about a mutiny?”
    A louder cheer arose.
    “You want me to go with you?” Frank asked.
    “I think I can handle it,” Worner replied.
    “I wouldn’t, if I were you,” Gus warned.
    “Listen, man. I’ve crawled through jungle full of cobras and landmines. I’ve had Viet Cong shooting at me from twenty feet away. That son of a bitch doesn’t scare me.”
    Gus shook his head.
    “Besides,” Worner continued with a grin, “my granddad’s lucky cannonball is in my bedroll. Nothing bad can happen to me while it’s on the ship.”
    Worner marched to the bridge, regaining the military bearing of his Army days.
    He held his head high and swung his arms purposefully from his squared shoulders. As he came within ten feet