ain't enough t' drive a man crazy,' th' skipper yells;
'McClosky, have yeh lost yer senses like all these condemned rascals
here? What's th' meanin' o' it?'

"'Don't know, sir; I heard 'em ravin' an' screamin' like lunatics, but I
can't get a word out of 'em. Think they must all have become mad,' an'
th' mate kicked Towers again t' relieve his feelin's.

"He'd just finished speakin' when suthin' busted underneath th' bo'sun.
Harper screams, th' skipper gives a jump an' lets go of his arm, an'
Harper falls out er his berth as if he'd been suddenly shot dead, only
he was makin' a row like a man suddenly attacked wi' D.T.'s. And at that
all th' other miserable wretches on th' floor starts worse than ever.

"Th' skipper pulls himself together, an' goin' t' th' bo'sun's bunk,
leans over an' examines it. He poked about f'r a bit, put his fingers
into a stream of suthin' that was fallin' from th' bunk to th' floor,
an' then by th' light o' th' swingin' oil lamp, I see his face turn a
blazin' crimson. I see him take suthin' outer th' bed, an' then he
swings round an' faces th' men.

"'Yeh low down, thievin', chicken-hearted, blank, blank scoundrels,' he
yells, an' his voice was that loud an' so full o' passion th' sailors
were scared into quietness. 'Yeh miserable sneakin' apologies for men!
So this is what's th' matter, is it? By gum! If I don't have every
mother's son of ye clapped into jail soon as we reach Kingstown, call me
a crimson Dutchman. Blown up, are ye? I wish t' th' Lord some of ye had
been. Sailors, yeh calls yeh-selves! Why, by gosh! yeh haven't enough
spirit t' rob a mouse. What's that yeh say, Towers? Infernal machines,
eh? Dyin'! If yeh don't all get a move on ye in double quick time, some
of yeh will be. Git out o' my sight, ye blubberin' babies; I'm sick an'
ashamed of ye.'

"A more sick an' unhappy lookin' drove I never saw when th' men got on
their legs again an' found out they weren't hurt a little bit; an'
discovered what it was had caused th' explosions. They wouldn't look at
each other; an' they daren't speak or else there'd have been fightin'.

"I went about in fear of my life for days, but they did nothin'; though
if they'd known that I--quite innocent o' mischief, yeh understand--had
put a dozen grains or so of rice inter every bottle o' stout--amazin'
stuff rice for causin' fermentation in hot climates--they wouldn't have
stopped short at mere profanity. My life wouldn't have been worth a
m