nd graved, the leak, which gave so much trouble the previous
voyage, had not been stopped. In a fresh breeze and a head sea the seams
would open, and a good "spell at the pump," every twenty minutes at
least, was required to keep her free.

The captain grumbled and swore like a pirate; but this had no
perceptible effect in stopping the leak. On the contrary, the more he
raved, denouncing the brig as a humbug, and the man who sold her to
him as a knave and a swindler, the more the brig leaked. And what was
remarkable, after the first ten days, the brig leaked as much in a light
breeze and a smooth sea as in rough weather. It was necessary to keep
one pump in action the whole time. But when the men, wearied by their
unremitting exertions, talked of abandoning the vessel to her fate,
and taking refuge in the first vessel they might fall in with, the
leak seemed suddenly to diminish, until the bottom of the old craft was
comparatively tight!

All this was inexplicable to me, and the mystery caused much
philosophical discussion and sage remark among the ship's company. As
we were in a part of the ocean which abounded in flying fish, it was
the general opinion that the stoppage of the leak was caused by the
involuntary action of a flying fish! The theory was, that an unfortunate
fish, swimming beneath the bottom of the vessel, in the neighborhood of
the crevice through which the water rushed, unsuspicious of danger, was
suddenly "sucked in," and plugged up the hole until it was drawn through
or removed by decomposition!

One day the cook, a negro not remarkable for quickness of apprehension
or general intelligence, received such an unmerciful beating from the
captain that he was unable to attend to his manifold duties, and a
portion of them fell to my share. Among them was the task of drawing off
the regular allowance of rum, half a pint to each man, and serving it
out to the crew. The rum was in the after part of the vessel, beneath
the cabin, a place designated as "the run." It was approached by a
scuttle in the cabin floor, and of course could not be explored by any
of the crew without the especial permission of the captain or mate.
I entered the dark hole, aided by the glimmering light of a lantern,
groped my way to the barrel which contained the liquid so highly prized
by the sons of Neptune as the liquor of life, the pure AQUA VITAE, and
filled my can with the precious fluid.

When I inserted the spigot I still hear