y of fuel, and it was
fortunate that the darkness prevented the revellers from measuring the
quantity left in the bottles as they were returned to the owners, or
they might have seen that the strangers were not doing their share in
consuming the poison.

"Sam Riley does honor to the blood as runs in his body, for he ain't no
more drunk'n I am; an' he knows what we been talkin' about," said the
mate, who seemed to be greatly amused at the supposed effect of the
liquor upon Christy. "You won't know nothin' about the Trafladagar or
the West Wind in half an hour from now, Tom Bulger. I reckon it don't
make no difference to you about the tandem team, and to-morrer mornin'
you won't know how the team's hitched up."

"I don't think I will," replied Christy boozily, as he rolled over
on the sand, and then struggled for some time to resume his upright
position, to the great amusement of Bird Riley and his companions. "But
Sam Riley's got blood in him, the best blood in Alabammy, and he kin
tell you all about it if yer want ter know. He kin stan' up agin a whole
bottle o' apple-jack."

"I say, Cousin Bird, what's this tandem team hitched up fer?" asked
Graines, permitting his superior officer to carry out the illusion upon
which he had entered, in order more effectually to blind the mate, and
induce him to talk with entire freedom.

"I reckon you ain't too drunk to un'erstan' what I say, Sam, as t'other
feller is."

"I'm jest drunk enough to un'erstan' yer, Cousin Bird; but I cal'late I
won't know much about it by to-morrer mornin'," added Graines.

"Let's take another round, Sam; but I reckon Tom Bulger's got more'n he
can kerry now," continued the mate.

Bird took a long draught from the bottle, and then passed it to his
guest. Three of the four revellers had already toppled over at full
length on the ground; and Christy thought he could hurry matters by
doing the same thing, and he tumbled over all in a heap. Graines drank
nothing himself, though he contrived to spill a quantity of the fluid on
the ground, so that it might not seem too light to his only remaining
wakeful companion. The last dram of Bird had been a very heavy one, and
the engineer realized that he could not hold out much longer.

"What's that tandem team fer?" asked Graines, in the thickest of tones,
while he swayed back and forth as Bird was doing by this time.

"The Trafladagar's gwine to tow the West Wind out; and both on 'em's
sure to be tooken,"