on a green table-cloth of palm-leaves, Mark and Ruth declared that
this picnic was even jollier than the one on the island of the Florida
Reef, and that this was after all one of the very best Christmases they
had ever known.

After supper, and when the dishes had all been washed and put away, the
Elmers, Captain Johnson, and Jan sought the shelter of the canvas
awning from the heavy night-dew which had begun to fall as soon as the
sun went down. They lifted the sides, so that they could look out and
see the fire around which the crew were gathered. After a while one of
these started a plaintive negro melody, which sounded very sweetly
through the still air. The others took it up, and they sang for an hour
or more, greatly to the delight of the children, to whom such music was
new. Many of the words were composed as they sang, and Mark and Ruth
could not help laughing at some of them, which, though sung very
soberly, sounded funny. One song which they afterwards remembered was:

"Oh, dey put John on de islan'
When de Bridegroom come;
Yes, dey put John on de islan'
When de Bridegroom come;
An' de rabens come an' fed him
When de Bridegroom come;
Yes, de rabens come an' fed him
When de Bridegroom come.
An' five of dem was wise
When de Bridegroom come;
Yes, five of dem was wise
When de Bridegroom come;
An' five of dem was foolish
When de Bridegroom come;
Yes, five of dem was foolish
When de Bridegroom come.
Oh, gib us of yo' ile
When de Bridegroom come;
Oh, gib us of yo' ile
When de Bridegroom come;
Fo' you'll nebber get to heaben
When de Bridegroom come;
No, you'll nebber get to heaben
When de Bridegroom come;
Aless you's ile a-plenty
When de Bridegroom come;
Aless you's ile a-plenty
When de Bridegroom come."

In the midst of the singing a voice called out from the tree-tops,

"Who, who, who, who's there?" or at least so it sounded.

Immediately the singing stopped, and one of the negroes answered,

"Some folkses from de Norf, Marse Owl, an' Cap'n Johnsin, an' me, an'
Homer, an' Virgil, an' Pete."

"What does he mean by that?" asked Mr. Elmer of the captain.

"Oh," answered he, "it's one of their superstitions that they'll have
bad luck if they don't answer an owl politely when he asks 'Who's
there?' and give the names of all the party, if they know