nd scour out the channel to a T."

And then he rapped upon the table.

"Gentlemen," he said, "please draw your chairs up, and let us take
another ballot."

The count resulted as before. The foreman muttered something which had
a scriptural sound.

In a few moments, he drew Mr. Eldridge and two others aside.
"Gentlemen," he said to them, "I shall quietly divide the jury into
watches, under your charge: ten can sleep, while one wakes to keep Mr.
Smith discussing the question. I don't propose to have the night
wasted."

And, by one man or another, Eli was kept awake.

* * * * *

"I don't see," said the book-agent, "why you should feel obliged to
stick it out any longer. Of course, you are under obligations. But
you've done more than enough already, so as that he can't complain of
you, and if you give in now, everybody'll give you credit for trying
to save your friend, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, for
giving in to the evidence. So you'll get credit both ways."

An hour later, the tin-peddler came on duty. He had not followed
closely the story about John Wood's loan, and had got it a little
awry.

"Now, how foolish you be," he said, in a confidential tone. "Can't
you see that if you cave in now, after stan'in' out nine hours"--and
he looked at a silver watch with a brass chain, and stroked his
goatee--"nine hours and twenty-seven minutes--that you've made jest
rumpus enough so as't he won't dare to foreclose on you, for fear
they'll say you went back on a trade. On t'other hand, if you hold
clear out, he'll turn you out-o'-doors to-morrow, for a blind, so 's
to look as if there wa'n't no trade between you. Once he gits off, he
won't know Joseph, you bet! That's what I'd do," he added, with a sly
laugh. "Take your uncle's advice."

"The only trouble with that," said Eli, shortly, "is that I don't owe
him anything."

"Oh," said the peddler; "that makes a difference. I understood you
did."

Three o'clock came, and brought Mr. Eldridge. He found Eli worn out
with excitement.

"Now I don't judge you the way the others do," said Mr. Eldridge, in a
low tone, with his hand on Eli's knee. "I know, as I told you, just
the way you feel. But we can't help such things. Suppose, now, that
I had kept dark, and allowed to the owners that that man was always
sober, and I had heard, six months after, of thirty or forty men going
to the bottom because the captain was a little off hi