urst of thunder, lightning, and rain--thoroughly saturated, and in
a condition to do ample justice to the sea-biscuit, fried salt-pork,
hung whitefish and tea, which Salamander had prepared for supper.

Blondin, being a polite, intelligent fellow as well as our foreman, was
privileged to take his meals with us, besides occupying one of our four
rooms. In consequence of this we conversed chiefly in the patois French
of the country, for the worthy man was not deeply learned in English.
Salamander messed with the men in their own house, after preparing and
spreading our meals.

"What say you to a game of chess?" said Lumley to me, after the
tea-things had been carried away by Blondin.

"By all means," I replied, going to a corner cupboard, in which we kept
miscellaneous articles, and bringing out the chess-board.

This board and its men, by the way, merit passing remark, for they were
fashioned by our chief entirely, and very neatly, out of the pith of a
bush, the name of which I forget; and, on the voyage, many an hour that
might otherwise have been tedious we whiled away with this interesting
game. I knew nothing of it when we began, but Lumley taught me the
moves, and I soon picked up enough of the game to enable me to fight a
fairish battle before being beaten. At first Lumley always won, and was
wont to signalise his victory by the expression of a modest hope that
the tables would be turned ere long. That hope--whether genuine or
pretended--was not long of being gratified, for as my mind by degrees
began to grasp the mysteries of chess, I succeeded in winning a game now
and then.

On this particular night, however, the tables were turned literally, and
in a way that we little expected.

Blondin, being left to himself, had sought the companionship of his
pipe, and was dozing over the fire, more than half asleep--at least not
more awake than was consistent with the keeping of his pipe between his
lips. Ever and anon he was startled into a more wakeful condition by
the tremendous blasts which frequently shook the house; but these did
not disturb him much, for he had helped to build the house, and knew
that it was strong.

We were all indeed pretty well tired by our recent exertions, and rather
sleepy, so that the game languished a little. Salamander, having
obtained permission to retire, was in bed in his own corner-room,
entertaining us with a duet through the nose--if I may call that a duet
in which both