ght, in a cartridge? Do you
remember yesterday?"

"Oh, yes, sir."

"What was you doing yesterday?"

"Well, sir, for one thing, I believe I had the honor of a little talk
with yourself."

"With _me_?"

"Yes, sir; about nine o'clock in the morning--the sea being smooth and
the ship running, as I should think, about seven knots--you came up into
the maintop, where I belong, and was pleased to ask my opinion about the
best way to set a topgallant stu'n'-sail."

"He's mad! He's mad!" said the officer, with delirious conclusiveness.
"Take him away, take him away, take him away--put him somewhere,
master-at-arms. Stay, one test more. What mess do you belong to?"

"Number 12, sir."

"Mr. Tidds," to a midshipman, "send mess No. 12 to the mast."

Ten sailors replied to the summons, and arranged themselves before
Israel.

"Men, does this man belong to your mess?"

"No, sir; never saw him before this morning."

"What are those men's names?" he demanded of Israel.

"Well, sir, I am so intimate with all of them," looking upon them with
a kindly glance, "I never call them by their real names, but by
nicknames. So, never using their real names, I have forgotten them. The
nicknames that I know, them by, are Towser, Bowser, Rowser, Snowser."

"Enough. Mad as a March hare. Take him away. Hold," again added the
officer, whom some strange fascination still bound to the bootless
investigation. "What's _my_ name, sir?"

"Why, sir, one of my messmates here called you Lieutenant Williamson,
just now, and I never heard you called by any other name."

"There's method in his madness," thought the officer to himself. "What's
the captain's name?"

"Why, sir, when we spoke the enemy, last night, I heard him say, through
his trumpet, that he was Captain Parker; and very likely he knows his
own name."

"I have you now. That ain't the captain's real name."

"He's the best judge himself, sir, of what his name is, I should think."

"Were it not," said the officer, now turning gravely upon his juniors,
"were it not that such a supposition were on other grounds absurd, I
should certainly conclude that this man, in some unknown way, got on
board here from the enemy last night."

"How could he, sir?" asked the sailing-master.

"Heaven knows. But our spanker-boom geared the other ship, you know, in
manoeuvring to get headway."

"But supposing he _could_ have got here that fashion, which is quite
impossible under all the circumsta