have been supposed, even by his warmest
admirer.

The mystery being thus satisfactorily explained, and the stowaway made
comfortable for the while in a much more sumptuous lodging than he ever
expected--Captain Dinks waiting to call him to account until he should
have recovered from his injuries--the debris of broken crockeryware was
cleared away, and the saloon party piped to breakfast, throughout which
meal, it need hardly be added, Llewellyn got chaffed immeasurably anent
his supernatural visitor, never having a moment's peace about his
discovery of the "ghost in the cabin" and subsequent terrific fight
therewith.

And, all this while, the ship was tacking every now and then to make the
most out of the wind, which was shifting from the west to the south, and
veering occasionally from the east to the north; rising as it shifted
and blowing with an ever-increasing force, till the vessel was running
under reefed topsails and foresail, with her spanker half brailed up,
her spread of canvas having been reduced by degrees, in preparation for
the threatening gale that seemed coming from the south-west, that is, if
the appearances of the sea and sky were to be trusted.

CHAPTER THREE.

A NARROW SQUEAK.

During the forenoon watch, the deck was in charge of Mr Adams, the
second mate--a plain, steady-going, matter-of-fact sort of man, with
none of that buoyant spirit and keen sense of humour which characterised
hid senior shipmate McCarthy, although he was a thorough sailor to the
backbone, and believed the human race to be divided into two classes,
those who were seamen and those who weren't. The wind now took a more
favourable turn, settling itself in the south-east quarter as if it
meant to remain there, thus enabling the ship to steer a better course;
and, meanwhile, the sky clearing up a bit, the threatening clouds
drifted to leeward and the sun shone out again just as it did when the
captain first came on deck in the early morning.

Taking advantage of the change, the reefs were shaken out of the
topsails, the courses let fall again, the jib and flying-jib hoisted,
and the topgallants set; and soon, with her head steering south-west and
a half south, the _Nancy Bell_ was bounding over the waves under all
plain sail, as if anxious to make up for the time she had lost in
tacking about against the head-wind that had barred her southward
progress ever since she took her departure from the Lizard Point on the
prev