drop
anchor in Yankee-land, if ever you do drop anchor there, which I take
leave to give no word upon."

"It's a curious state of things. You mean to say, I suppose, that
there's terror amongst them--plain terror, and nothing else?"

"Ay, sure!"

"Then it remains for us to face them. What's your opinion on that?"

"My opinion is, as you won't go for to do it, but will take your
victuals, and play your music in the aft parlour, and skeer away the
Old One with the singing, as ye've skeered him already--that's what
ye'll do afore Missie and the skipper--but by yourself, you won't have
two eyes shut when you sleep, and you won't have two eyes open when
you're above; and when you're wanted you won't be an hour getting
yourself nor Mr. Roderick under weigh--and that's the end of it, for
there goes the bell."

The watch changed as he spoke, and I went below to the bathroom;
thence, not thinking much of Dan's terror, nor of the men's petty
grumbling, I joined the others at breakfast. We were now well towards
the end of the journey, and I itched to set foot in America. The new
safety in the presence of the warships had given us light hearts; and
that fifth day we passed in great games of deck-quoits and cricket,
with a soft ball which the bo'sun made for us out of tow and linen. The
men worked cheerfully enough, giving the lie direct to Dan; and when
Mary played to us after dinner at night I began to think that, all said
and done, we should touch shore with no further happening; and that
then I could make all use of the man Paolo and his knavery. So I went
to bed at ten o'clock, and for an hour or two I slept with the deep
forgetfulness which is the reward of a weary man.

At what hour Dan awoke me I cannot tell you. He shook me twice in the
effort, he said, and when I would have turned up the electric light, he
seized my hand roughly, muttering in a great whisper, "Hold steady." I
knew then that mischief was afloat, and asked him what to do.

"Crawl above," he said, "and lie low a-deck"; and he went up the
companion ladder when I got my flannels and rubber-shod shoes upon me.
But at the topmost step he stood awhile, and then he fell flat on his
hands, and backed again down the stairway, so that he came almost on
top of me; but I saw what prompted his action, for, as he moved, there
was a shadow thrown from the deck light down to where we lay; and then
a man stepped upon the stair and descended slowly, his feet naked, bu