came from the offing invariably stopped two or three
miles from the schooner. It was about midnight that there was a stir in
the cabin, and it appeared that Mr. Shedden had the yellow fever, and
shortly afterward another white man, a sailor 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 seaman 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 afterward 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 around 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 r