w, and when I awoke I think I seed two
eyes looking at me.'

"'Well, Jim,' said I, for we had got over our fears, 'it was you who
knocked her overboard, so it's all right that she should haunt you and
nobody else.' Jim, however, could not laugh, but looked very grave and
unhappy. A few days afterward the captain and passenger complained that
they could not sleep for the noise and racket that was kept up all night
between the timbers and in the run aft. They said it was if a whole
legion of devils were broken loose and scampering about; and the captain
was very grave; and as for the passenger, he was frightened out of his
wits. Still we laughed, because we had heard nothing ourselves, and
thought that it must only be fancy on their parts, particularly as the
captain used to _bowse his jib_ up pretty taut every night. Well, all
went on very well; we arrived at the Rock, got our fresh provisions and
vegetables, and then made sail again. The captain complained of no more
noises, and Jim of no more eyes, and the whole matter was almost
forgotten."

Here the narrator was interrupted by the thumping of a handspike on the
deck above. "Halloo! what's the matter now?"

"Come, tumble up, my lads, and pump the ship out," said the mate from
above; "we had almost forgotten that. Be smart, now; it's but a ten
minutes' job."

Thus broke off the story, much to my annoyance; but it could not be
helped--ships must be pumped out--so the men went on deck, and I
followed them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"Recollect," says the Fellow, "you have thrown overboard a black
Tom Cat!"

In a quarter of an hour the pump sucked, and we all hastened down below
to our grog and the completion of our yarn. As soon as we were all
comfortably seated as before, Dick recommenced.

"Well, we were abreast of Malta, when the weather, which had hitherto on
the voyage been very fine, changed. The clouds hung down very heavy, and
there was every symptom of a fierce gale; and sure enough a worse gale I
never was in than came on that night--and such a sea!--the ship rolled
gunnel under, for the gale was fair, but the sea ran so high and so fast
that we expected to be pooped every minute. It was about midnight when
the rain came on in torrents, and the wind blew fiercer than ever. I was
on deck, and so was the first mate and another man at the helm, for we
were flying right before it, and she was hard to steer.

"We shall have it worse yet," s