nings were closely furled and the chairs stowed away in snug stacks,
while not a figure could be seen where all had been light, warmth and
cheer, a few hours earlier. Only one or two of the incandescent lights
were on, and beyond that feeble glow there seemed a great void of
darkness and storm. The gloom shut in the steamer's world as with a
thick curtain; not a star was visible, but now and then a white swirl
of foam gleamed for a second through the murk, and then, with a
creaking and groaning as if in pain, the good ship lurched, trembled,
and as the wave broke with an indescribable noise, steadied herself
once more, to plunge onward as fast as steam could force her in the
teeth of wind and wave.

Some days later, when the almost perished man had regained
consciousness and a modicum of strength, the girls were told the rest
of his story, which I will give you here.

He was first-mate of the "Shiraz," a tartan, which, to be explicit, is
a small coasting vessel peculiar to the Mediterranean Sea, used
principally for conveying stock, and sometimes other merchandise.
This, headed for the Balearics, had shipped a crew at Algiers, the
captain being forced to take what he could pick up in a hurry. He was
a Corsican, and seems to have been a cruel man, though his mate loyally
made the best of him, and insisted he was a good captain.

But, be that as it might, some failure in rations and water made the
crew surly and ready to break out into open grumbling upon any
pretense, so that, when they encountered a fierce squall, and sprung a
leak, it was almost impossible to keep them at the pumps, until terror
of their own lives forced them to yield to discipline.

But, though they finally succeeded in stopping the leak, this was not
accomplished until the mainsail had been carried away by the heavy sea,
and other injuries sustained. It was a terrible time for all, and the
crew, exhausted and overworked on insufficient food, were only held to
their tasks by the captain and mates standing over them with loaded
firearms.

In some unknown way one of them discovered a hogshead of arrack, the
East Indian whisky, and, unseen by the officers, they tapped it and
secretly helped themselves.

The fiery, stuff changed them from men into demons, and that night they
mutinied. The second mate, who was upon deck, attempted to check their
rush, but was felled with a cutlass and kicked overboard. Next, they
made for the cabin, where the