fashun
you 'peak 'bout. Ob coas, I hab heer de nigga talk to da Fetish, de
which I, tho' I be a nigga maseff, nebba belieb'd in. Dis child no
belieb in anyting he no see, an' he see many ting he no belieb in."

To this frank confession of faith on the part of the Coromantee Ben made
no rejoinder that might signify either assent or opposition. His reply
was rather a continuation of the train of thought that had led to his
last interrogative.

"Ah, Snowy, if you heerd the lad! He do pray beautiful! Most equal to
the parson, as we had aboard the frigate; an' he warn't slow at it,
eyther. Do 'ee think, Will'm," continued the sailor, turning to the lad
with an inquiring look, "do 'ee think ye can remember that prayer as is
in the Church Sarvice, and which I've heerd the frigate chaplain go
through,--specially after a storm,--as speaks about deliverin' us from
all dangers by sea and by land? You've heerd it at home in the church.
D'ye think ye could gie it as?"

"O," answered William, "you mean the `Thanksgiving for Deliverance from
our Enemies.' Certainly I remember it. How could I forget what I've
heard so many Sundays in church, besides often on week-days at home? O
yes, Ben, I can repeat it, if you wish!"

"I do, lad. Gie it us, then. It may do good. At all events, we _owe_
it, for what's been done to us. So take a reef out o' your tongue, lad,
an' fire away!"

Notwithstanding the _bizarrerie_ of manner in which the request was
made, the boy-sailor hesitated not to comply with it; and turning
himself round upon his knees,--a movement imitated by all the others,--
he repeated that _thanksgiving_ of the Church Service, which, though
well-known, is fortunately only heard upon very unfrequent occasions.

The thanksgiving appeared an appropriate finale to the toils and dangers
of the day; and after it was offered up, Snowball, William, and Lalee
lay down to rest,--leaving Ben Brace to attend to the steering-oar, and
otherwise perform the duties of the dog-watch.

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE.

SNOWBALL SEES LAND.

The man-o'-war's-man kept watch during the long hours of the night.
True to his trust, he attended to the steering-oar: and as the breeze
continued to blow steadily in the same direction, the raft, under the
double propulsion of the wind and the "line current," made considerable
way to the westward.

A sort of filmy fog had arisen over the ocean, which hid the stars from
sight. This might have