, and the shore
could only be faintly distinguished in the distance. "Aye, aye, my
hearty! A light it is for certain."

"Then it's the cap'en, sure!" said Bill; "he's late to-night. I hope
we'll start our anchor at last; I'm tired o' this Canton River."

"Foc's'le, ahoy!" at the same moment shouted out Mr Scuppers, the first
mate, from the poop, where he was pacing to and fro with young Jack
Harper, the midshipman.

"Aye, aye, sir!" shouted out in answer Bill and Jem together.

"You are awake, are you? I thought you were all asleep! Hoist up a
lantern at the fore, to show the cap'en where we are, it's getting quite
dark; and see if that Snowball's asleep in the galley; tell him it's six
bells, and time for my coffee."

The negro cook, however, was awake for a wonder, and heard the mate's
message, thus saving the trouble of its being repeated to him.

"Yah, yah! me no sleep, Massa Scuppers," he called out with that
cheerful good humour that seems characteristic of the darky race, and
which seems proof against any ill treatment;--"me jus' goin' brin'
coffee, sah, yes sah! It am lubly hot, massa, and 'trong as carthoss!"

"Hot and strong is it, Snowball?" said the first mate in his hearty,
jolly way, as the darky cook stepped gingerly past the group of Lascars,
and handed the cup of coffee up to him on the poop, with an obsequious
bow. "But, how is it you're not asleep?"

"Best to be most circumspectious, massa, wid dem culled pussons aboard;
no caulking wid dem nasty yaller gen'lemen for me!"

"Well, that's a good un!" laughed Mr Scuppers; "the pot calling the
kettle black with a vengeance!"

"You mistake sah," said Snowball with dignity. "I knows, Massa
Scuppers, I isn't 'xactly like you white gen'lemen; but den I isn't a
nasty mulatto like dem poor trash; and dey isn't to be trusted!"

"Perhaps you're right, Snowball; but we ought not to suspect them till
we've found them out, you know."

After another turn or two on deck, Mr Scuppers cabled the boatswain to
him,--

"Martens," said he, "have those Lascars turned in yet?"

"No, sir," said Bill; "one of 'em at all events was awake just now, and
spying about forward."

"Indeed!" exclaimed the mate in a tone of surprise, as if the
information was both unexpected and alarming. "Pass the word forward
for the serang to come aft to me at once!"

"Aye, aye, air," replied the boatswain, touching his cap as he left the
poop; and in another minute or so