the
parish taught me to read the Bible. There you be resurrectioned up
again. Well, it's no use, I suppose. Satan, I defy you, anyhow; but
it's very hard that a good Christian should have to get the breakfast
ready, of which you'll eat one half: I don't see why I'm to wait upon
the devil or his imps."

Then Smallbones stopped, and thought a little. "I wonder whether he
bee'd dead, as I thought. Master came on board last night without no
one knowing nothing about it, and he might have brought the dog with
him, if so be he came to again. I won't believe that he's haltogether
not to be made away with, for how come his eye out? Well, I don't care,
I'm a good Christian, and may I be swamped if I don't try what he's made
of yet! First time we cut's up beef, I'll try and chop your tail,
anyhow, that I will, if I am hung for it."

Smallbones regained his determination. He set about laying the things
for breakfast, and when they were ready he went up to the quarter-deck,
reporting the same to Mr Vanslyperken, who had expected to see him
frightened out of his wits, and concluding his speech by saying, "If you
please, sir, the dog be in the cabin, all right; I said as how I never
kilt your dog, nor buried him neither."

"The dog in the cabin!" exclaimed Mr Vanslyperken, with apparent
astonishment. "Why, how the devil could he have come there?"

"He cummed off, I suppose, sir, same way as you did, without nobody
knowing nothing about it," drawled out Smallbones, who then walked away.

In the meantime the corporal had been picked up, and the men were
attempting to recover him. Smallbones went forward to see what had
become of him, and learnt how it was that he was insensible.

"Well, then," thought Smallbones, "it may have been all the same with
the dog, and I believe there's humbug in it; for if the dog had made his
appearance, as master pretends he did, all of a sudden, he'd a been more
frightened than me."

So reasoned Smallbones, and he reasoned well. In the meantime the
corporal opened his eyes, and gradually returned to his senses, and
then, for the first time, the ship's company, who were all down at their
breakfast, demanded of Smallbones the reason of the corporal's conduct.

"Why," replied Smallbones, "because that 'ere beast, Snarleyyow, be come
back again, all alive, a'ter being dead and buried--he's in the cabin
now--that's all."

"That's all!" exclaimed one. "All!" cried another. "The devil!" sa