Sentence:  I was not surprised to see somebody sitting aft, on the deck, with his legs dangling over the mud. You see I rather <WSD>chummed</WSD> with the few mechanics there were in that station, whom the other pilgrims naturally despised—on account of their imperfect manners, I suppose. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To make friends; to socialize.