oor wretch clinging in his
despair to the edge of the stern window, and shrieking for help. There
was a curious sensation as if a ball was rising in my throat to choke
me, and I was forgetting where I stood, when I was brought back to
myself by the voice of my messmate Smith, who said in a husky whisper--

"Think we shall come across any of the poor fellows floating about?"

"Not likely," replied Barkins. "Too many sharks in these seas."

My throat felt dry at this horrible suggestion, but I knew how true it
was. And then once more there was silence, and, like the rest--officers
and men--we stood there watching the burning wreck hour after hour, not
a soul on board feeling the slightest disposition to go below.

It must have been quite a couple of hours later, when I started in the
darkness, for something touched my arm, and, looking sharply to my
right, I could just make out the figure of Ching close to me, while on
looking in the other direction I found that I was alone, for Barkins and
Smith had gone forward to a group close to the bows.

"You, Ching?" I said, "looking at the mischief your friends have done?"

"Fliends burnee ship? No fliends. Velly bad men. Ching feel allee
shame. Velly bad men evelywhere. Killee, get dollar. No velly bad
men, London?"

"I'm afraid there are," I said sadly.

"Yes; velly bad men, London. Killee get dollar. You choppee off bad
men head?"

"No," I said; "but they kill them if they commit murder."

"Commit murder? You mean killee get dollar?"

"Yes."

"Allee light. Plenty bad men evelywhere. Captain going kill pilate?"

"If we can catch them," I said.

"Yes, velly hard catchee catchee. Captain never catchee in ship.
Pilate allee lun away. 'Flaid of big gun. Get two big junk, put plenty
sailor boy where pilate can't see. Then pilate come along kill and
burnee. Junk steal all along. Jolly sailor jump up and cut allee
pilate head off."

"Send that boy forward!" cried a stern voice, which made me jump again.
"Who's that?"

"Herrick, sir," I said, touching my cap, for the captain came forward
out of the darkness.

"Then you ought to know better, sir. The scoundrel has no business in
this part of the ship. What does he want?"

"I beg pardon, sir; he came up to propose a way of trapping the
pirates."

"Eh, what?" said the captain eagerly. "Bah! absurd. Send him below; I
hate to see the very face of a Chinaman. No; stop! He ought to know
somet