with the comfortable assurance of having earned their four hours'
rest that they went below that first night at sea.

"I guess old Tompkins will have to rap pretty loud to make me budge at
eight bells," said Tom with a portentous yawn, as he peeled off his
reefing jacket and turned in "all standing," as he expressed it, with
the exception of his boots. He was too tired to undress; and besides,
he thought, in his lazy way, what was the use of his doing so when he
would have to turn out again and relieve the first mate at four o'clock
in the morning, just as he was beginning to enjoy himself.

"By George, a sailor's life is a dog's life!" he muttered out aloud.

"What, eh?" sleepily murmured Charley from the other bunk adjacent, the
two occupying one cabin between them; and, presently, the pair were
"wrapped in the arms of Morpheus," and snoring like troopers in concert,
the captain playing a nasal obligato from his state-room in the
distance, whither he had retired a short time before themselves, after
being satisfied that the ship was proceeding well on her course and
everything all right.

And all this time the _Muscadine_ was bowling so favourably along at the
rate of some eight knots an hour, carrying with her the fair wind with
which she had started from port, the felucca that had left the Syrian
coast shortly after still followed in her track, although hull-down on
the horizon, and her white lateen sails only just dimly discernible to a
sharp eye that was looking out for her, under the rays of the rising
moon, which now emerged from the waste of water that surrounded the two
vessels with its fathomless expanse. But who on board the merchant ship
suspected that they were pursued or looked out for the felucca, dead
astern as she was, and only a tiny speck on the ocean?

STORY TWO, CHAPTER FOUR.

THE STRANGE SAIL.

Mr Tompkins, the late second and now first officer of the _Muscadine_,
besides possessing a nasty, grumbling, fault-finding temper for the
benefit of those under him, and a mean, sly, sneaking sort of way of
ingratiating himself with his superiors, was as obstinate as a mule, and
one of those men who would have his way, if he could, no matter what
might be the consequences. When he was able, as was the case with the
men he was unfortunate enough to command, he bullied those who might
differ from him into acquiescence with his views; with those over him in
authority he adopted another course,