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He was particularly animated later about a gift from someone:  a 1946 edition of Melville’s Billy Budd, Foretopman.

In brief, a good-natured young foretopman, Billy Budd, is falsely accused by the master-at-arms, John Claggart, of fomenting mutiny.

I was a smart young foretopman in them days, lads, an' it was me wot the commodore sent out on that main-yard-arm to drop them grenades down the hatchway of the Serrypis that blowed her up.

The tall foretopman, who was standing near by, folded his heavy arms across his chest.

"I've heard tell of that before," remarked the tall foretopman.