s, adjured the waiter-
boy to be good to Clitellus and Summanus, gave him an extra coin, and
signalled me to rise. I lurched to my feet, swaying, almost as drunk as
our victims and beholding Agathemer swaying before me, not only because of
my blurred eyesight, but also because of his unsteadiness on his feet.

We almost fell, but not quite. Somehow we staggered to the door, where,
once outside, the cool night air made us feel almost sobered, though still
too nearly drunk to be sure of our location or direction.

More by luck than anything else we took the right turn and found the
harbor front before the night was entirely black. In the half gloom we
tried to find the pier from which we had come that morning. As we explored
we heard a cheerful hail.

"Is that you, Orontides?"

Agathemer called.

"Aye, Aye!" came back the cheery answer. "Come aboard!"

And we were met and assisted up the gang-plank and down over the bulwarks.

"I was afraid you boys were lost," the shipmaster said, "and I am to sail
at dawn, after all; everything is aboard. I'm glad to see you. You've
dined pretty liberally. Come over here and get to sleep."

And he led us to where we found something soft to sleep on.

I was asleep almost as soon as I lay down.

I awoke with a terrific headache and an annoying buzzing in my ears, awoke
only partially, not knowing where I was or why and without any distinct
recollections of recent events. My first sensation was discomfort, not
only from the pain of my headache, but also from the heat of the sunrays
beating on me, and that despite the fact that I could feel a strong cool
breeze ruffling my hair and beard.

I sat up and looked about me. Agathemer was snoring. The sun was not low;
in fact, at that time of the year, it was near its highest. I had slept
till noon!

Then, all of a sudden I realized that the ship was wholly strange to me
and that it was headed not southeast, but northwest. That realization
shocked me broad awake. At the same instant I saw the shipmaster
approaching. He was not Orontides, nor was he at all like him. He had
small feet, was knock-kneed, tall, lean, had a hatchet-face and red hair.

"Awake at last!" he commented. "You lads must have dined gloriously last
night. You don't look half yourselves, yet."

He stared at me, and at Agathemer, who had waked, into much the same sort
of daze in which I had been at first.

"Neptune's trident!" the shipmaster exclaimed. "You two a