me."

"Must have my berth, Cap'n, or I go ashore," persisted the seaman.

"Small loss anyhow," growled the captain.

"How is the cabin, Captain Sullendine?" interposed Graines.

"Two staterooms and four berths," replied the master.

"Then why can't the second mate take one of the berths in the cabin?"
suggested the new mate. "He is a first-rate fellow, and I reckon he's a
better sailor than I am, for he's been to sea about all his life."

"'Tain't reg'lar to have the second mate in the cabin. He'll have t'eat
with us if he bunks there," argued the master.

"He'll have to keep his watch on deck when we eat, and I reckon he'll
have to take his grub alone," reasoned the mate.

"I'd ruther live in the deck-house with the crew," said Christy.

"But there ain't no room thar," added Graines, who thought his superior
had made the remark simply to keep up his character.

"Let him come into the cabin, then," said Captain Sullendine, in order
to settle the question. "Now, Bokes, take this apple-jack, and show the
other six to the deck-house. Give 'em one or two drinks all round. It'll
do 'em good."

Bokes obeyed the order, after the master had lighted another lantern for
his use, and he went over the bales of cotton to the seamen.

Captain Sullendine remarked with great complacency that he always
treated his men well, gave them enough to eat and drink, and he thought
the apple-jack he had sent them would do them good. He liked to be
liberal with his crew, for he believed a tot of grog would go further
with them than "cussin' 'em;" and the two mates did not gainsay him,
though they believed in neither grog nor "cussin'."

Though Christy never drank a drop of intoxicating fluid under any
circumstances, and Graines almost never, both of them believed that
"apple-jack" had been a very serviceable ally during the night so far.
Rut they considered it useful only in the hands of the enemy, and they
were sorry to see the bottles sent forward for the use of Belleviters;
for they were afraid some of them might muddle and tangle their brains
with the fiery liquor.

"Come, mates, let's go down into the cabin now," continued the captain,
descending the ladder without waiting for them.

"I will go forward for a few minutes, Charley," whispered Christy in the
ear of the engineer, who followed the captain below.

When the lieutenant reached the deck-house he found the men there, with
Bokes in the act of taking a long pull at one