following strange story.

I happened, as luck would have it, to be standing just at his elbow when
he made the remark, having come up the companion way from the cabin
below the poop by the steward's directions to tell Captain Snaggs that
his dinner was ready; and, as may be imagined, I was mightily pleased
with his complimentary language, although wondering that he gave me the
credit of pulling and hauling with the others in taking in sail on `all
hands' being summoned, when every idler on board ship, as I had learnt
in a previous voyage to New York and back, is supposed to help the rest
of the crew; and so, of course, I lent my little aid too, doing as much
as a boy could, as Mr Jefferson Flinders, the captain's toady and
fellow bully, although he only played second fiddle in that line when
the skipper was on deck, could have seen for himself with half an eye.

Oh, yes, I heard what he said; and I believe he not only called me a
`swab,' but an `ugly' one as well!

Indeed, I heard everything, pretty nearly everything, that is, and was
able to see most of what occurred from the time when we were off the
Tuskar Light until Captain Snaggs hailed the cook to come aft; for I was
in and out of the cuddy and under the break of the poop all the while,
except now that I went up the companion, and stood by the booby hatch
over it, waiting for the captain to turn round, so that I could give him
the steward's message.

But the skipper wasn't in any hurry to turn round at first, sticking
there grasping the rail tightly, and working himself up into a regular
fury because poor Sam didn't jump out of his galley at the sound of his
voice and answer his summons; when, if he'd reflected, he would have
known that the wind carried away his threatening words to leeward,
preventing them from reaching the negro cook's ears, albeit these were
as big and broad as the bell-mouth of a speaking trumpet.

The captain, though, did not think of this.

Not he; and, naturally, not recognising the reason for the negro's
non-appearance immediately on his calling him, he became all the more
angry and excited.

"Sam--Sambo--Sam Jedfoot!" he roared, raising his shrill voice a pitch
higher in each case, as he thus successively rang the changes on the
cook's name in his queer way, making the first-mate snigger behind him,
and even I could not help laughing, the captain spoke so funnily through
his nose; while Jan Steenbock, the second-mate, who was stan