g,
however, in fear of the skipper taking offence: "Not mor'n ye could
carry, though. Ye scooted down the companion all right at eight bells."

"Thet's so," said the other; "but, d'ye know, Flinders, I wer flummuxed
up inter a heap when I got below, an' saw snakes terrible. I guess I
seed, too, thet air durned nigger, an' hed a notion he wer come back
agen to haunt me--I did so, Flinders, by thunder!"

"Ye must take keer, cap," responded the first-mate to this confession.
"If ye don't draw in a bit ye'll be hevin' the shakes, an' thet 'd never
do, I reckon."

"I guess not; but last night I wer kinder overcome with all the muss,
an' might jist hev swallerd a drop or so too much, I reckon. Good rum
can't hurt nary a one--thet is, in moderation, Flinders, strictly in
moderation."

So saying, Captain Snaggs helped himself to another stiff tumblerful;
and how many more glasses he had afterwards I could not say, as he
dismissed me just then, telling me I could go forwards when I had
cleared away the things--which I did in a jiffy, glad to quit the cabin
and its occupants.

On reaching the fo'c's'le, I found that the steward had, as I perceived,
told the men of my fright, and so I got finely chaffed about `Sam's
ghost.' The next day I was revenged, though; for, Jones spoiled the
crew's dinner, and got so mauled by the indignant sailors that he had to
beat a retreat back to the cabin, giving up thus ingloriously his brief
tenancy of the galley.

Hiram Bangs was then elected cook in his place by the hands, with whom
the captain left the matter, to settle it as they pleased; and, as the
good-natured Yankee selected me to be his `mate' or assistant, by this
means I was relieved of any further association with the Welshman, and
released from his tyranny, taking up my quarters thenceforth with the
crew forward.

The nor'-westerly wind lasted us right across the Bay of Biscay and down
to the Western Islands; and, we were only becalmed for a day or so, with
light, variable breezes between the Azores and Madeira, when we picked
up the nor'-east trades, which rattled us onward past the Canaries and
Cape Verde.

From thence, all went well on board, nothing eventful happening until we
were close up with the Equator, in latitude 7 degrees North, and
longitude about 28 degrees West, when, late in the evening of our
thirtieth day out, just as the man at the wheel had been relieved, and
the port watch, under charge of the first