belonging to the
schooner, then one of Mr Shedden's slaves. Well, there the fever
stopped,--no one else was taken ill,--the usual remedies were applied,
but before morning they were all three delirious. At sunrise it was
still calm, and continued so till sunset; and all the day the passengers
were annoyed by the back fins of the three sharks, which continued to
swim about. Again they went to bed, and just before one o'clock in the
morning Mr Shedden, in his delirium, got out of his bed, and, rushing
on the deck, jumped overboard before any one could prevent him; and old
Etau, who never left where she sat, was heard to say, `_One_!' and the
bell was struck _one_ by the sea man forward, who did not know what had
happened. Morning came on again, and there were but two sharks to be
seen. About noon the other white man died, and he was thrown overboard;
and as one shark seized his body and swam away, old Etau cried out,
`_Two_!' An hour afterwards the negro died, and was thrown overboard
and carried away by the third shark, and old Etau cried out, `_Three_!
the price is paid!'

"Well, every one crowded round the old woman to hear what she would say,
and they asked her if all was over, and whether they should have any
wind? and her reply was, `When the three birds come from the sea to
replace those which were killed.' For you see, pilot, if one of these
birds is killed, it is certain that some one of the crew must die and be
thrown overboard to become a Mother Carey chicken, and replace the one
that has been destroyed. Well, after a time, although we never saw them
rise, three Mother Carey's chickens were seen dipping and flying about
astern of the schooner; and they told old Etau, who said, `You'll have
wind and plenty--and plenty of waves to make up for the calm;' and so
they had, sure enough, for it came on almost a hurricane, and the
schooner scudded before it under bare poles until she arrived at
Antigua, with her bulwarks washed away, and a complete wreck. I was
there at the time, and old Mason, who was on board, told me the story,
and asked me to take him, as he would not remain on board of the
schooner. And now I leave you to judge, after knowing this to be a
fact, whether I was not right in preventing Mr Higgins from shooting
the Mother Carey chickens?"

"Why, yes," replied I, "with such a _fact_ before my eyes, I should have
done the same."

Mr Higgins not venturing to kill any of these receptacles for