th a
shout, another man took his place and danced with all his might.

The listeners had to trust to their ears for all this, but it was
perfectly plain, and it seemed to Mark that in despair of escaping the
Americans had determined to make the best of their position.

This went on for some time with great spirit and a tremendous amount of
noise, sufficient to make the slaves in the hold uneasy, and a good deal
of murmuring and talking went on.

The sounds ceased, and there was a hail from the forecastle.

"Hey, there, yew, on the watch!"

"Hullo! What is it?" cried Tom Fillot.

"Ask yewr young skipper to pitch us down a little 'bacco, will you,
mister? My lads here is out, and they want to make their miserable
lives happy."

"I oughtn't to let them have any," thought Mark; "but it may keep them
quiet. I hope they will not set the ship on fire."

So a roll of tobacco was thrown down to them through the ventilator,
pipes were evidently lit, for the strong fumes came up, and the singing
and dancing went on again more uproariously than ever, till Mark began
to feel annoyed.

"The brutes!" he said to himself; "they've been asleep all day and can
sit up all night. Ah, well, they're prisoners, so I will not be too
hard upon them."

Just then Tom Fillot left his post for a moment.

"They must have got some grog below, sir, or they wouldn't keep on
dancing like that. Nuff to tire anyone."

"Oh, let them enjoy themselves," said Mark; "it's better than hatching
plans to attack us."

It was now within about an hour of daybreak, and Mark kept on looking
longingly away over the mist eastward, in hopes of seeing the stars
begin to grow pale. But all was deep, dark night at present, and he
paced the deck, going from place to place, listening to the uproar made
by the Americans, which was as loud as ever.

"Yes," said Mark at last. "They must have got some spirits down below,
Tom, or they would never keep up noise like that."

Just as he was speaking one of the prisoners finished off a dance with a
tremendous stamp, stamp, stamp, and the others began to applaud and
cheer vociferously. Then all was silent, and Mark exclaimed,--

"At last!"

"Perhaps they'll go to sleep now, sir, and I hope they won't wake again
for a week."

"Why, what's the matter now?" cried Mark. "I'm not going to have the
blacks begin. Here, pass the word for Soup--Pish! I mean for the big
black."

"Ay, ay, sir;" and Soup came up