or during the last few days
we had over-tasked our strength considerably, and since the late
action had deprived us of the services of one half of the crew, the
other half had had still harder duty to perform, and were almost
exhausted. It might have been about four o'clock in the morning, when
I was suddenly roused by the sound of voices in the apartment next to
the cabin. I heard one person call to another, and then a cry of
murder reached my ears. Pretty soon Wagtail, who was sleeping on a
mattrass below me, coughed loudly and hastily. A heavy splash
followed, and immediately some of the men in the forecastle called
out:

"The vessel is full of water--water up to our hammocks."

"I am drunk," roared Wagtail, who with might and main was rolling
about his little bed. "Captain, I am drunk--Gelid, Bangs, we are all
drunk."

"To the pumps!" cried Tailtackle, who had hastened on deck.

"It is useless," said I, springing out of bed, and sinking up to my
knees in water. "Bring a light, Tailtackle, one of the planks must
have started, and as the tide is rising, get out the boats, and put
the wounded into them. Don't be alarmed men, the vessel is aground,
and as it is nearly high tide, there is no danger."

The sailors were now quiet, and busied themselves in putting bedding
and provisions into the boats belonging to the vessel, and those
which, on hearing the alarm given, had come from the shore to our
rescue. As there was no immediate danger, I returned to the cabin,
wading through the water, which rose to my body. Bangs was sitting up
in bed, busily engaged in putting on his breeches, which luckily he
had put under his pillow. The rest of his own clothes, and those of
his friends, were swimming about the cabin, saturated with water.
Gelid, who during all the tumult had slept soundly, was now awake. He
put one of his legs out of bed, with a view of rising, and plunged it
into the water.

"Heavens! Wagtail," he exclaimed, "the cabin is full of water--we are
sinking! Ah! it is deuced hard to be drowned in this puddle, like
potatoes in a tub."

"Captain, captain," cried Bangs, looking over the side of his bed,
"did you ever see the like of that? There, just under your light--look
at it; why it's a bird's nest, with a thrush in it, swimming about."

"Damn your bird's nest," growled little Pepperpot, "by Jove, it's my
wig with a live rat in it."

"The deuce take your wig," said Paul; "Zounds! take care of my
boots."