ly hope that the dreadful ones to which you have
been giving expression may not overtake you; but remember, that though
he may delay, God's arm is not shortened that he cannot strike."

"Now you have taken to quoting Scripture, you canting hypocrite," cried
Sills. "Do you think we are afraid of any such thing happening to us?
Our curses may come back for what we care."

"Oh, it's all humbug! Nothing you can say will make me hold my tongue,"
added Broom, with a hoarse laugh.

"In mercy to yourself do not say such things," I exclaimed, as I turned
away from my two messmates.

Mr Henley had warned me, when some days before I had observed that I
hoped the captain had improved, that before long he would break out as
bad as ever. Such in a few days I unhappily found to be the case. Not
only did he become as bad, but worse than ever, and I heard Dr Cuff
tell Mr Henley that he did not think that he could possibly survive
such continued hard drinking. The first mate overheard the remark,
which was made probably in kindness as a warning to him. It had in one
respect the effect intended. He kept himself perfectly sober, and
attended carefully to the navigation of the ship; but I could not help
strongly suspecting that he was seized with the ambition of becoming
captain, and of having to take the ship home. Mr Henley and the doctor
thought so likewise, for he at once assumed the airs of a master, and
became more dictatorial and overbearing than ever.

There lay the wretched captain, unconscious, in his berth, and of course
this man was virtually in command of the ship. One day, after we had
been rather more than a week at sea, I had called Tommy Bigg aft, and
was speaking to him, directing him to do something or other, when Mr
Grimes came up close to us.

"What do you do here?--go forward to your kennel, you young--," he
exclaimed, with an oath.

Tommy heard him, but his impulse was to wait till I had finished my
sentence. This momentary delay so enraged the first mate, that he flew
at the poor little fellow, knocked him down with his fist, and then
began to kick him along the deck as if he had been a foot-ball.

"Coward! brute!" I exclaimed, gasping for breath; and losing all
command of myself, I rushed in before Tommy. "Let alone the child--
you'll kill him if you continue to treat him thus; if you do I will
brand you as a murderer. Help! help! he is killing the boy."

My cries were heard throughout the shi