s to show in proof of his valor. His stories of his own
achievements when he so gallantly made his escape from the pirate each
day grew more and more marvelous. He was especially fond of narrating
this exploit to his friend Dick Halyard, to whom he endeavored to
convey the impression that he had fought his way overboard from the
deck of the pirate, and for want of a boat had boldly set sail upon a
plank over the dangerous deep.

"Crikey! Dick, if ever I get back to old Lonnon agin, how the women
will love me when I tell 'em how I fought them bloody pirates."

John had never read Shakspeare, or he might have said with Othello,
that they would love him,

"For the dangers I have passed."

Dick, who as the reader already knows was somewhat of a wag in his
way, was not at all disposed to allow John to retain this
self-conceited idea of his own valor, and determined to convince him
before the belief got too strongly settled in his mind, that he was as
much a coward as ever.

With this praiseworthy intention he waited till the middle watch of
the night, when John was comfortably snoozing in his hammock, to which
he had become somewhat accustomed. Dick suddenly awoke him.

"John, roll out, the pirates are on us again."

John jumped from his hammock, thoroughly awakened by the dreadful
word.

"O lud! Dick, where can I hide myself?"

"Why, we must fight them off, John. You have now a chance to get
another wound to show the girls in Lonnon. Come, be lively.

"O! Dick, here's a box, let me get in here."

"Nonsense, man! take this cutlas, and here's a pair of pistols; come,
we shall be too late for them."

"O! Dick, I can't fight."

"Can't fight! What was that yarn you told me this morning, how you
killed two pirates on their own deck, and jumped overboard followed by
a shower of balls."

"Dick, that was all a lie."

"Ha! ha! ha!"

"I never fought in my life; I always run when any body tried to lick
me, ever since I was a little boy."

"Well, I thought so, John. You can turn in again, and snooze till
daylight."

"What, aint there no pirates on board us?"

"Not a one, ha! ha! ha! I only wanted to see how brave a fellow you
were, so turn in."

"Thunder and lightning! Dick," said John, picking up the cutlas and
brandishing it heroically, "you don't think I 'm afraid of pirates do
you?"

"O! no, not a bit of it."

"Of course I aint."

"I don't think you are--I only know you are."

"Well now, yo