nds. It's the best joke I ever
heard."

"You're a fool!" said Bill shortly, and lighting his pipe went and
squatted in the bows to wrestle grimly with a naturally bad temper.

For the ensuing four days things went on smoothly enough. The weather
being fair, the watch at night was kept by the men, and regularly they
had to go through the unpleasant Jack-in-the-box experience of taking
the lid off Bill. The sudden way he used to pop out and rate them about
his sufferings and their callousness was extremely trying, and it was
only by much persuasion and reminder of his share of the hush-money
that they could persuade him to return again to his lair at daybreak.

Still undisturbed they rounded the Land's End. The day had been close
and muggy, but towards night the wind freshened, and the schooner began
to slip at a good pace through the water. The two prisoners, glad to
escape from the stifling atmosphere of the hold, sat in the bows with an
appetite which the air made only too keen for the preparations made to
satisfy it.

Ned was steering, and the other two men having gone below and turned in,
there were no listeners to their low complaints about the food.

"It's a fool's game, Tommy," said Bill, shaking his head.

"_Game?_" said Tommy, sniffing. "'Ow are we going to get away when we
get to Northsea?"

"You leave that to me," said Bill. "Old Ned seems to ha' got a bad
cough," he added.

"He's choking, I should think," said Tommy, leaning forward. "Look! he's
waving his hand at us."

Both sprang up hastily, but ere they could make any attempt to escape
the skipper and mate emerged from the companion and walked towards them.

"Look here," said the skipper, turning to the mate, and indicating the
culprits with his hand; "perhaps you'll disbelieve in dreams now."

"'Strordinary!" said the mate, rubbing his eyes, as Bill stood sullenly
waiting events, while the miserable Tommy skulked behind him.

"I've heard o' such things," continued the skipper, in impressive tones,
"but I never expected to see it. You can't say you haven't seen a ghost
now, Bob."

"'Strordinary!" said the mate, shaking his head again. "Lifelike!"

"The ship's haunted, Ned," cried the skipper in hollow tones. "Here's
the sperrits o' Bill and the boy standing agin the windlass."

The bewildered old seaman made no reply; the smaller spirit sniffed and
wiped his nose on his cuff, and the larger one began to whistle softly.

"Poor things!" sa