in his turn. "Howsomdever,
to stop arguefying, Master Sammy, finding himself hungry and knowing
something of the stowage below from having been in the ship on a
previous voyage, he manages to work a passage through the hold to the
after part right under the cuddy; and from there my gentleman, if you
please, makes his way on deck again through the hatchway in the
captain's cabin, not forgetting to rummage the steward's pantry for
provisions when he goes by!"

"An' mighty little grub was dere, suah," put in the negro cook, with
great dignity. "I'se feel mean as a pore white if yer was ebbah come to
my galley an' fin' sich a scrubby lot tings! Dere was nuffin' fit fo' a
decent culler'd pusson ter eat--dat feller Morris Jones one big skunk!"

"I guess ye air 'bout right," agreed Hiram; while Tom and I signified
our assent likewise by nodding our heads with great unction. "He's the
biggest skunk I ever wer shipmets with afore!"

"Let him slide, for he don't consarn us now," said Tom, continuing the
narrative of Sam's story. "Well, you must know, our darkey friend here,
having taken first to prowling about the ship for grub, keeps it up
arterwards for pleesure and devarshun, thinking it a jolly lark to make
the hands believe the old barquey was haunted. Then, one day he gets
hold of his banjo from out of Hiram's chest in the fo'c's'le, where old
Chicopee really did stow it away arter he bought it at the auction o'
Sam's traps, as he thought he did, although I persuaded him and you
Charley, too, if you remember, that the banjo had been left hanging up
still in the galley in the place where Sam used to keep it. Once,
indeed, when Sam forgot to put it back arter playing on it in the hold,
where he had taken it, I brought it up and hung it on its old peg in the
galley right afore your very eyes, Hiram!"

"I recollect, Tom," said I; "and so, Sam used to play on it in the hold
below, then, when we heard the mysterious music coming from we knew not
where?"

"Yes, that's so," replied he. "At first, Sam touched the strings only
now and then, 'specially when the wind was blowing high, and he thought
that nobody would hear the sound from the rattling of the ship's timbers
and all; but, when I noticed how you above on deck could distinguish,
not only the notes of the banjo, but also the very air that Sam played,
and how the skipper was terrified and almost frightened out of his boots
when he recognised the tune, which he had