that he could sleep it off, and he did not care if he
did not do so before the next day. He waited till he had dropped off
into a deep slumber, and then joined Christy in the cabin.

"If I had not been a temperance man before, I should be now," said the
lieutenant. "It is just as well that the captain is clean over the bay,
for we might have been obliged to shoot him if he had been sober."

"But we could have taken possession of the vessel in spite of him, if
the steamer had not interfered," replied Graines, as he led the way to
the deck. "I don't see that we have anything to do but wait for the
moving of the waters, or for the moving of the steamer. I suppose our
men are all right forward."

"I have no doubt of it, though I have not seen them lately. I gave one
of the bottles of apple-jack the captain sent forward for them to Bokes,
and poured the contents of the other into Mobile Bay. I think we had
better go forward and look the vessel over," said Christy.

They had gone but a few steps before they stumbled over the body of
Sopsy, who had evidently succumbed to the quantity of firewater he had
consumed. He had assisted Bokes to empty the bottle given to him, and
both of them were too far gone to give an alarm if they discovered at
any time that something was wrong about the movements of the West Wind.

They found the Belleviters lounging about on the cotton bales, some of
them asleep, and others carrying on a conversation in a low tone. They
were glad to see their officers, who told them the time for some sort of
action was rapidly approaching. Then they went to the bow of the vessel,
where they found that she was anchored, though the chain had been hove
short. The hawser by which she was to be towed to sea was made fast to
the bowsprit bitts, and led to the stern of the steamer, where it was
doubtless properly secured.

While they were looking over the bow, a boat approached from the
Tallahatchie, and an officer hailed, asking for Captain Sullendine.

"He is in the cabin; I am the mate," replied the engineer, "and the
captain has shipped a new crew, we are all right now."

"Weigh your anchor at three short whistles," added the officer.

"Understood, and all right," said the new mate.

The boat pulled back to the steamer.

CHAPTER IX

THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE

The fog, which had been coming and going during the whole of the night,
had now lifted so that everything in the vicinity of the