and water on his tray, I heard a gurgling sound,
as if Captain Snaggs was pouring out some of his favourite liquor and
gulping it down. "Ah, I feel right chunky arter thet, I guess! Yes,
Mister Steenbock, we'll float her right off; fur, I don't think she's
started a plank in her; an' if we shore her up properly we ken dig the
sand from under her, ez ye sez, an' then she'll go off ez right ez a
clam, when we brings a warp round the capstan from the ankers astern."

"Ja zo," agreed Jan Steenbock. "We vill wait and zee."

"Guess not," retorted the skipper. "We'll dew better, we'll work and
try, me joker, an' dew thet right away smart ter-morrer!"

Captain Snaggs sniggered at this, as if he thought it a joke; and then,
I could hear Jan Steenbock wish him good-night, leaving him to his rum
and the companionship of Mr Flinders--who must have smelt the liquor,
for I caught his voice muttering something about being `durned dry,' but
I did not listen any longer, looking out for the steward, who presently
followed Jan Steenbock out of the cabin.

"Well, younker, what d'ye want?" Morris Jones asked me, when he came up
to where I was still standing alongside his pantry. "I didn't have time
to speak to ye afore. What is it?"

"I want a lantern," said I. "The galley fire's gone out."

"All right, here you are, you can take this," he replied, handing me one
he had lit. "Any more ghostesses about forrud? That blessed nigger's
sperrit oughter go ashore, now we've come to this outlandish place, and
leave us alone!"

"You'd better not joke about it," I said solemnly. "Hiram has seen
something awful to-night."

"What d'ye mean?" he cried, turning white in a moment, as I could see by
the light of the lantern, and all his braggadocio vanishing. "What d'ye
mean?"

"Only not to halloo too loud till you're out of the wood," said I, going
off forwards. "Hiram has seen Sam's ghost again, that's all!"

I felt all the more encouraged by this little passage of arms with the
funky Welshman; so, I marched up to the galley door as brave as brass,
holding out, though, the lantern in front of me, to light up the place,
Hiram, ashamed of his own fears, coming up close behind, and looking in
over my shoulder.

Neither of us, though, saw any cause for alarm, for there was no one
there; and I was inclined to believe that Hiram had fallen asleep and
dreamt the yarn he told me, the more especially as there was a strong
smell of tobac