my 'pinion
that he's as well as you and me."

"No, no," said Mark. "I believe the poor thing is very ill."

"I don't, sir, and if you'll let me, I'll cure him in a minute."

"But you'd hurt him."

"Well, sir, I might hurt his feelings, but I wouldn't hurt him nowheres
else."

"What will you do, then?"

"Here, hold hard," said Billy in a whisper. "Don't talk so loud; he's
a-watching of us."

Mark glanced in the direction of the monkey, and sure enough the animal
had drawn himself up a little, and was peering at them over the dog's
back, as the latter lay down at full length in the sunshine.

"That's his artfulness, Mr Mark, sir," whispered Billy. "I've had the
keer of that there monkey ever since he come aboard, and have stood by
him many's the time when the men was up to their larks, and wanted to
make him pick up red-hot ha'pennies, and to give him pepper pills to
eat. Why, there was one chap used to spend hours setting traps for him.
What d'yer think he used to do?"

"I don't know," replied Mark.

"Well, I'll just tell you, sir: he used to shove a little thin old file
through a cotton reel, and make a drill of it. You know what a drill
is, sir?"

"Yes, I've seen it used," said Mark; "worked to and fro with a steel bow
and catgut."

"That's him, sir; only my messmate hadn't no steel bow and no catgut,
but he made hisself a sort of bow out of a bit o' cane and some string,
and then he used to get a few nuts and stick 'em one at a time in a
crack, and drill holes in the sides. When he'd done this, he used to
sit o' nights and pick all the kernels out, a bit at a time, with a pin,
just the same as you used to do with the periwinkles, sir."

"That I never did," said Mark, laughing, as he seated himself outside
the bulwark, and gazed down in the clear water while he listened.

"Well, I used to, sir, and werry nice they is."

"I daresay, but go on."

"Well, sir, he used to pick all the kernels out, and when they was
empty, fill 'em up with snuff, and plug the holes with a bit o' tar."

"What for?"

"That's just what I'm a-coming to, sir, only you keeps a-interrupting
so. Then he used to put these here nuts full o' snuff in one pocket,
and some good uns in the other, and wait till he see Jack. Fust time he
did it, I didn't know there was any game on, and I see him give Jack a
nut. He cracked it, and ate the kernel, and then my mate give him
another, and he cracked and ate that, and held out hi