Up he jumped, and, with arms akimbo, commenced his
dance. If he had before shuffled, and kicked, and capered, he now
redoubled his efforts, snapping his fingers, clapping his hands, turning
and twisting in every conceivable way. Scarcely ever before was such a
hornpipe danced. It drew forth rounds of applause from even the gravest
of the spectators. The chief was delighted. Turning to one of his
attendants, he gave an order, which I did not then comprehend. Mr
Vernon had kept outside the circle, to be ready for any emergency which,
as Jack hinted, might occur. I, meantime, played away a variety of
other tunes, till Jack, jumping up from the spot where he had thrown
himself, made a sign to me to begin another hornpipe. This time he even
outdid either of his former attempts; indeed, before, I believe that he
was only shamming being tired; for my fingers and elbows began to ache
before his legs or breath gave any signs of his wish to end the dance.

"Change the tune, Mr D'Arcy. Wallop-ahoo-aboo! I'll just give them an
Irish jig to keep them staring."

A jig I played, and a jig he danced, with agility enough to win the
heart of any Nora Creina in old Ireland. Then I tried a Scotch reel,
and he almost outdid the jig: nor did he cease till he saw Mr Vernon
rejoin the circle.

"Now if we haven't bamboozled the old gentleman famously, my name's not
Jack Stretcher!" he exclaimed with a loud laugh, slapping his thigh; an
action which was naturally supposed by his audience to mark the _finale_
of his barbaric dances.

Exclamations of wonder broke from the lips of all around; and I, having
played a few more airs, we were dismissed, graciously, to our dormitory.

Mr Vernon then told me that, while Jack was dancing, he had managed to
speak both to Major Norman and his daughter, the chief having sent for
the inmates of his harem to witness the strange seaman's dancing.

It was arranged that we should the following night try to communicate
with the frigate's boats; and if they could manage to send a party on
shore, that we should scale the walls of the harem, and carry off Miss
Norman--they being ready to support us. She, at at all events, would be
prepared for the emergency.

Mr Vernon told me that, from what he heard, there would be no use
negotiating, as the old chief boasted that he never had given up a slave
he had taken, and never would. He was also subject to fits of fury, so
that no time was to be lost in