Strickland hadno papers, but that was not a matter to disconcert Tough Bill when he saw aprofit (he took the first month's wages of the sailor for whom he found aberth), and he provided Strickland with those of an English stoker who hadprovidentially died on his hands. But both Captain Nichols and Strickland werebound East, and it chanced that the only opportunities for signing on were withships sailing West. Twice Strickland refused a berth on tramps sailing for theUnited States, and once on a collier going to Newcastle. Tough Bill had nopatience with an obstinacy which could only result in loss to himself, and onthe last occasion he flung both Strickland and Captain Nichols out of his housewithout more ado. They found themselves once more adrift.

Tough Bill'sfare was seldom extravagant, and you rose from his table almost as hungry asyou sat down, but for some days they had good reason to regret it. They learnedwhat hunger was. The Cuillere de Soupe and the Asile de Nuit were both closedto them, and their only sustenance was the wedge of bread which the Bouchee dePain provided. They slept where they could, sometimes in an empty truck on asiding near the station, sometimes in a cart behind a warehouse; but it wasbitterly cold, and after an hour or two of uneasy dozing they would tramp thestreets again. What they felt the lack of most bitterly was tobacco, andCaptain Nichols, for his part, could not do without it; he took to hunting the"Can o' Beer, " for cigarette-ends and the butt-end of cigars whichthe promenaders of the night before had thrown away.

"I'vetasted worse smoking mixtures in a pipe, " he added, with a philosophicshrug of his shoulders, as he took a couple of cigars from the case I offeredhim, putting one in his mouth and the other in his pocket.

思特里克兰德没有证件，但是硬汉子彼尔只要有利可图（他替哪个水手介绍工作都要把人家第一个月的工资扣去），对这一点是不以为意的。凑巧有一个英国籍的司炉住在他这里的时候死掉了，他就把这个人的证明文件给了思特里克兰德。但是尼柯尔斯船长同思特里克兰德两个人都要往东走，而当时需要雇用水手的船恰好都是西行的。有两次驶往美国的货轮上需要人干活都被思特里克兰德拒绝了，另外还有一艘到纽卡斯尔的煤船他也不肯去。思特里克兰德这种拗脾气结果只能叫硬汉子彼尔吃亏，最后他失去了耐性，一脚把思特里克兰德同尼柯尔斯船长两个人一起踢出了大门。这两个人又一次流落到街头。

硬汉子彼尔寄宿舍的饭菜从来也称不上丰盛，吃过饭从餐桌旁站起来跟刚坐下一样饿得慌，但是尽管如此，有好几天两个人对那里的伙食还是怀念不已。他们这次真正尝到挨饿是什么滋味了。施舍菜汤的地方同夜宿舍都已经对他们关了门，现在他们赖以果腹的只剩下面包施舍处给的一小片面包了。夜里，他们能在哪儿睡觉就在哪儿睡觉，有时候在火车站岔道上一个空车皮里，有时候在货站后面一辆卡车里。但是天气冷得要命，常常是迷迷糊糊地打一两个钟头的盹儿就得到街上走一阵暖和暖和身体。他们最难受的是没有烟抽，尼柯尔斯船长没有烟简直活不下去，于是他就开始到小啤酒馆去捡那些头天晚上夜游的人扔的烟屁股和雪茄头。

“我的烟斗就是比这更不是味儿的杂八凑烟也抽过，”他加添了一句，自我解嘲地耸了耸肩膀。在他说这句话的时候又从我递过去的烟盒里拿了两支雪茄，一支衔在嘴上，一支揣在口袋里。