d only see faintly, but we did see
the captain sitting, holding his hand of cards, and another hand
opposite, all spread out, but no fingers holding it, and no man behind
it. There was a rap on the table, and I am sure it was not the captain
that struck it.

'Very well,' says he; 'wait till I've thought. You're so confounded
sharp.'

Then he played, and there was a dark shadow on the table--we did not
know what, but it made our hair stand on end.

'Play fair, Old Un!' says the captain. 'There goes king of trumps. Ha!
that's what I thought! Of course, the devil's own luck--it's a
proverb. Well, never say die. There!' and he played again.

But we could stand it no longer. We scrambled to our legs, and the
next minute were down in fo'castle, rousing the men. They were sleepy
enough, you may be bound; but we almost lugged them out of the
hammocks. 'Turn out, turn out, shipmates, for God's-sake: the devil's
aboard this ship, and he's playing cards with the captain in the
cabin.' At first, mates, the hands thought we had gone mad; but we
both of us told in a breath what we had seen; and so in a minute or
two we all went aft, creeping like cats along the deck. But there was
no need. We heard Old Goss's voice raging like a fury.

'You're a cheat, Old Un,' he was yelling out. 'You cheat all mankind:
you've cheated me. Come, play; double or quits on the first turn-up.
What's that? Nine of Spades! Seven of Spades! What! no trumps? I say,
don't you mind the old craft under the line? That's her opposite you;
so, play away.'

'Mates,' says an old salt--his name was Bartholomew Cook--'mates,'
says he, 'this is a doomed ship, an I won't ship for another v'y'ge.'

'Nor I;' 'nor I,' says several, as we crept along.

'He's only mad with drink,' whispered the mate. 'It's all five-water
grog.'

'Is it?' said Bartholomew. 'Look down there!'

The men crept to the skylight, and peeped; and so did I. What we saw,
not a man forgot the longest day he lived. The captain was dealing the
cards furiously; his face working and swelling; his hair bristling up;
his good eye gleaming, and the patch off the other, the blind one,
which was shining, too, as it were, like a rotten oyster in the dark.

'Play!' roars Goss at last; and then he paused, as if he was thinking
of his next card. The table was rapped. He played; and then quick and
furious the cards came down; the captain all the while raving,
shouting, and foaming at the mouth.

'Agai