noon
It was queer lingo -- about ships and ships ' officers and gales and calms and fights and pearls and whales and islands and birds and skies . But it was all little stuff . I used to listen by the hour , but I never made out anything really important as to who the man was , or where he 'd come from , or what he 'd done . At the end of the second week I came in at noon as per usual to fix him up with grub . I did n't pay any attention to him , for he was quiet . As I was bending over the fire he spoke . Usually I did n't bother with his talk , for it did n't mean anything , but something in his voice made me turn .