aptain of the craft. You've got a fit of the blue-devils or something,
Tom, that makes you so unlike yourself; or else that blessed old Turk's
nonsense made a deeper impression on you than it has on me!"

"You're right, Charley," said Tom Aldridge, giving himself a shake as if
to dispel his strange forebodings. "I don't know what has come over me
to-night. Of course, if those beggars should rise, we could whop them
easily enough. To tell you the truth, I shouldn't mind if they did, if
Tompkins only got a knock on the head in the fight!"

"Bravo, Tom! that's more like yourself! But isn't your watch nearly
over? It must be six bells by now; the moon is getting up."

"So it is, Charley I wish you would call that beast for me; it's time he
was on deck."

"All right!" shouted the other with a laugh, scuttling down, and
hammering at the first mate's cabin-door, so loudly that Tom could hear
him plainly above, and also Mr Tompkins' deeply growled oaths in
response to the summons, after it was repeated once more with all the
strength of the middy's fists beating a tattoo.

"He'll be here in a minute," said Charley, as he hurried up the
companion in advance of the gentleman he had called to relieve Tom's
watch; although Tompkins came pretty close behind him, swearing still,
and glaring at the two young fellows in the moonlight as if he could
"eat them without salt," as Charley said.

Before going below, Tom gave the first mate the ship's course, as was
customary, "nor'-west and by north," reporting also that all was right
and nothing in sight, no vessel had passed them during the night; and
then he and Charley turned into their bunks, with the expectation of
having a better "caulk" than they had had all the time the _Muscadine_
had lain at anchor in Beyrout Roads, for while there, the heat and
lassitude produced by their having almost nothing to do had so banished
sleep that they hardly cared when the time came for their "watch below."
Now, however, it was all different; as what with the bustle of
preparation in storing the last of their cargo, and seeing to those
endless little matters which had to be put in ship-shape manner before
the anchor was weighed, and the actual departure itself, their time had
been fully occupied nearly from dawn to sundown, and their feet and
hands busy enough in running about on deck and aloft, directing the crew
under the captain's orders, and lending assistance where wanted. So it
was