e chance. I'm makin' up lee-way just now. Bin to
church in the forenoon though. I ain't a heathen, Tommy."

"You looks uncommon like one, anyhow--with your 'air an' 'ead an' beard
an' blankits mixed up together all of a mush. There's a letter for 'ee,
old man."

Without a word the sailor took the epistle, read it slowly, while the
boy watched him keenly, then thrust it under his pillow.

"You ain't agoin' to clear for action at once, then?" said the boy.

"No, not just yet."

"Any message for me?" asked Tommy.

"None wotsomedever."

Seeing that his friend did not intend to be communicative the boy wisely
changed the subject.

"Now, Sam, about them pirits. W'ere was it they fust got 'old of you?"

"Down somewheres among the Philippine Islands," replied Sam, drawing the
blankets more comfortably round him, "but to tell you the truth, lad,
after they'd taken our ship an' made every man o' the crew walk the
plank except me an' the skipper, they putt us in the hold, tied up hand
an' futt so as we could scarce move. Why they spared us was a puzzle to
me at the time, but I afterwards found out it was because somehow they'd
got it into their heads that the skipper an' mate of our ship knew
somethin' about where some treasure that they were after had been
buried. Hand me that there pipe, Tommy--not the noo one; the short
black fellow wi' the Turk's head on the bowl. Thankee."

"An' _did_ you know about the treasure?" asked Tommy, handing the pipe
in question.

"Bless you, no," returned the seaman, proceeding to render the confined
air of the bunk still more unbearable; "we know'd of no treasure. If we
had we'd have bin arter it ourselves, double quick. As it was, they
burnt us wi' hot irons an' tortered us in various ways to make us
confess, but we had nothin' to confess, so had to grin an' bear it--
sometimes to yell an' bear it! You see, lad, they mistook me for the
mate, so that's how I came to escape. He was a fine man was that mate,"
continued the seaman in a lower tone, "a strong, handsome, kind young
officer, an' a great favourite. I've often wondered why he was taken
an' me spared."

"P'raps it was for Susy's sake!" suggested Tommy.

Sam looked at the boy--a quick half-surprised glance. "Not a bad notion
that, my lad. I shouldn't wonder if it _was_ for Susy's sake. I never
thought o' that before. Anyhow I comfort myself sometimes when I think
o' the poor mate that he was saved a deal o' t