you steward in poor Harry's place," said Captain
Miles.

"Iss, massa," responded Jake, greatly pleased at the honour thus
bestowed on him, and making a low how with a scrape back of his left
foot, according to negro etiquette, in acknowledgment of the favour.

"Look out, my lad, and make matters snug here as well as you can. You
may call in your brother darkey the cook to help you, if you like."

"Golly, massa, me do him much betterer own self," replied Jake grinning
hugely. "Dat Cuffee bery lazy sometimes."

"Well, well, that's like the pot calling the kettle black, I fancy,"
said Captain Miles smiling. "However, you can please yourself, and get
any of the hands you may want to assist in lifting back the bunks and so
on in their proper places--some of the things may be too heavy for you.
At all events, make the saloon presentable before we come down again,
and swab up the deck."

"That's a willing fellow," he added to Mr Marline, as we went out and
mounted the poop-ladder. "I never saw a negro so handy, so plucky, and
so willing."

"Thank you, Captain Miles," I said, taking the compliment to myself, as
having a sort of family ownership in Jake.

"Why, what have you got to do with it, Tom Eastman?" he asked in his
humorous way, poking fun at me.

"Well, captain, I don't think you'd ever have seen him on board if it
hadn't been for me," I retorted.

"You're right there, but I'll thank you for his passage-money, then,
Master Tom," said he, laughing at his joke and I too joining in, our
wonderful good fortune having restored all our spirits amazingly.

The sun now came out and the day became bright and cheerful, with a
gentle soft breeze blowing from the south-west which was just sufficient
to curl the crests of the waves and make the sea sparkling, the heavy
waves of the morning having lessened considerably and the whole expanse
of the ocean dancing before our eyes in the warm light of the noontide.

"I see," observed Mr Marline, "the hands have quickly acted on your
advice about drying their clothes."

"Aye, poor fellows; and time enough, too, for they haven't had a dry rag
on them, I believe, since last Monday."

"You forget you have been in the same plight," replied the other, as we
looked at the long strings of shirts and trousers and guernsey frocks
hanging from ropes that were stretched from the stump of the foremast
across the deck forwards, all fluttering in the wind and making the ship
look as