ncing with one of
his hearty African laughs ended in his voice breaking into a sob of joy
that evidently came from the bottom of his heart.

From hearing his words Captain Miles immediately began to "smell a rat,"
as the saying goes.

"You impudent black rascal!" he said, half in joke, pretending to be
angry, and yet partly in earnest. "What the dickens do you mean by
shipping yourself aboard my vessel in this fashion without leave or
license?"

"I'se come for to go wid Mass' Tom," answered Jake meekly.

"But how did you get off from the shore and overhaul the ship?"
continued Captain Miles, pursuing his inquiries, the hands around
meanwhile commencing to nudge one another and exchange grins as the
colloquy waxed warm between the two principal performers.

"I tell you for true, massa, beliebe me," said Jake earnestly. "Dis
forenoon wen I see Mass' Tom agwine I'se go down to de warf an' dere I
see um lilly boat lyin' widout nobody a-mindin' it; so I'se jump in and
row out ob de harbor an' git roun' by de ole fort till I see de ship
make sail. Den I'se pull, an' pull, an' pull, like de debbel, to come
up wid you, an' I tinks I nebber reach de bessel, wen, jus' as I'se git
'longside an' cotch you up, de ship gib one big lurch an' squash in de
boat, wen I'se trown in water an' you fish um out; dere, massa, dat's de
trute, s'help me!"

"Lucky for you you didn't go squash, too," observed the captain grimly.
"But, was there no one else with you?"

"No, massa, only me," replied Jake.

"Thank God for that!" said Captain Miles fervently. "I was afraid I had
run down one of those fishing sloops from Cariacou, and that all hands
were drowned but you. Whose boat was it?"

"Dunno, massa, I'se tell you," answered Jake with great nonchalance,
apparently giving but little thought to the little craft whose broken
timbers were now floating away, far astern of us.

"Well, you're a cool hand anyway!" exclaimed Mr Marline the first mate
drily, whereat Moggridge and the rest of the crew burst into a general
shout of merriment. In this even the captain himself could not help
joining, although he still tried to preserve a grave demeanour before
Jake, as if annoyed at his coming on board.

Jake, however, was much hurt at being laughed at; and he went on now to
justify his conduct with such native dignity that those who had been
making fun of him before seemed almost ashamed of their ill-judged
ridicule.

"I'se know Mass' To