ail ho! Ship ahoy! What ship's that? Heave
to, and be--Heave to, you infernal lubbers! if you don't I'll sink you!"

The manner in which these varied phrases were jumbled together,
intermingled with screeching exclamations, as well as the excited and
grotesque gestures that accompanied them, might have been ludicrous, but
for the painful impression it produced.

There was no longer any doubt in the minds of those who witnessed his
behaviour, that the ex-skipper of the _Pandora_ was mad. None but a
madman would have spoken, or acted, as he was doing.

In the state he was in, it would be dangerous to go near him. This was
evident to the occupants of the raft; and when they had arrived within a
half-cable's length of the boat, they suspended the stroke of the
oars,--with the intention of entering upon a parley, and seeing how far
their words might tranquillise him.

"Captain!" cried the sailor, hailing his former commander in a friendly
tone of voice: "it's me! Don't you know me? It's Ben Brace, one o' the
old _Pandora_. We've been on this bit o' raft ever since the burnin' o'
the bark. Myself and Snowball--"

At this moment the sailor's epitomised narrative was interrupted by a
fiendish yell, proceeding from the throat of the maniac. They were now
near enough to have a clear view of his face, and could note the
expression of his features. The play of these, and the wild rolling of
his eyes, confirmed them in their belief as to his insanity. There
could be no doubt about it; but if there had, what soon after succeeded
was proof sufficient to satisfy them.

During the continuance of the discourse addressed to him by the sailor,
he had kept silent, until the word "Snowball" fell upon his ears. Then
all at once he became terribly excited,--as was testified by a terrible
shriek, a twitching contortion of his features, and a glaring in his
eyes that was awful to behold.

"Snowball!" screamed he; "Snowball, you say, do you? Snowball, the
infernal dog! Show him to me! Ach! Blood and furies! it was he that
fired my ship. Where is he? Let me at him! Let me lay my hands upon
his black throat! I'll teach the sneaking nigger how to carry a candle
that'll light him into the next world. Snowball! Where,--where is he?"

At this moment his rolling orbs became suddenly steadied; and all could
see that his gaze was fixed upon the Coromantee with a sort of desperate
identification.

Snowball might have quaile