to the
cabin.

The men seemed inclined to eat him when he put out his hand to stop
them.

"Take it coolly!" he sang out, pushing one or two back that had pressed
forwards. "I will see that you've not long to wait. Jake, you know
your way below, I believe?"

"Iss, massa," replied the darkey with a broad grin. "Harry bery often
sen' me down to get stores when um busy."

"Ah, the poor fellow, I had forgotten him," ejaculated the captain,
entering the cabin at once and going towards the steward's pantry; but
he had to pick his steps carefully, the place being heaped up with a
variety of things that had been swept out of the different berths by the
sea, and were washing up and down for more than two days.

As Captain Miles had surmised, the mulatto had been drowned inside the
little apartment devoted to his use; for there his body was now found,
the colour of the skin nearly white through the action of the water.
The corpse was brought out and laid reverently under the break of the
poop by a couple of sailors whom the captain called into the cabin for
the purpose; after which he and Jake then proceeded to unfasten the
hatches leading down into the after-hold in search of provisions for the
living, there being plenty of time to attend to the obsequies of the
dead later on when our more urgent needs were supplied.

Cuffee the cook during this interval had gone forward to look after his
old galley; and loud was his lament to find it washed away, its weight
having parted the strong lashings that secured it to the ring-bolts in
the deck when the ship capsized.

"Boderation!" he exclaimed. "How can um cook w'en dere's nuffin' to
cook, an' no place to cook in?"

"Belay that grumblin' o' yourn, darkey," cried old Moggridge, who had
been poking about amongst a heap of the debris of ropes and broken spars
and gear that were piled in a heap between the windlass bitts and the
top of the topgallant forecastle. "I do believe your blessed old
caboose hasn't been washed overboard arter all! Here it is, only on its
beam-ends like the ship was an hour ago; but I daresay all your pots and
pans are all right inside."

"Golly, bosun, does you mean dat?" exclaimed Cuffee, going up quickly to
where Moggridge was standing, inspecting the mass of heterogeneous
things that had fetched up in the corner, consisting of a portion of one
of the anchor-stocks, the men's clothes and traps washed out from their
bunks, mess-tins, and all sor