x the
question?"

"What does he say?" inquired the pacha, impatiently.

"He says," interrupted Mustapha, "that he was not so fortunate as to be
born in the country of the true believers, but in an island full of fog
and mist, where the sun never shines, and the cold is so intense, that
the water from heaven is hard and cold as a flint."

"That accounts for their not drinking it. Mashallah! God is great! Let
him proceed."

"The pacha desires me to say that there is but one God, and Mahomet is
his Prophet; and begs that you will go on with your story."

"Never heard of the chap--never mind--here's saw wood."

TALE OF THE ENGLISH SAILOR.

I was born at Shields, and bred to the sea, served my time out of that
port, and got a berth on board a small vessel fitted out from Liverpool
for the slave trade. We made the coast, unstowed our beads, spirits, and
gunpowder, and very soon had a cargo on board; but the day after we
sailed for the Havannah, the dysentery broke out among the niggers--no
wonder, seeing how they were stowed, poor devils, head and tail, like
pilchards in a cask. We opened the hatches, and brought part of them on
deck, but it was of no use, they died like rotten sheep, and we tossed
overboard about thirty a day. Many others, who were alive, jumped
overboard, and we were followed by a shoal of sharks, splashing, and
darting, and diving, and tearing the bodies, yet warm, and revelling in
the hot and bloody water. At last they were all gone, and we turned back
to the coast to get a fresh supply. We were within a day's sail of the
land, when we saw two boats on our weather bow: they made signals to us,
and we found them to be full of men; we hove to, and took them on board,
and then it was that we discovered that they had belonged to a French
schooner, in the same trade, which had started a plank, and had gone
down like a shot, with all the niggers in the hold.

* * * * *

"Now, give the old gentleman the small change of that, while I just wet
my whistle."

Mustapha having interpreted, and the sailor having taken a swig at the
bottle, he proceeded.

* * * * *

We didn't much like having these French beggars on board, and it wasn't
without reason, for they were as many as we were. The very first night
they were overheard by a negro who belonged to us, and had learnt
French, making a plan for overpowering us, and taking possession of th