had taken
quite a fancy to me. "I have a son of my own," said he, "as like you as
two blocks, and he's all the pride of my 'art. But the great thing for
boys is discipline, sonny--discipline. Now, if you had sailed along of
Bill, you wouldn't have stood there to be spoke to twice--not you. That
was never Bill's way, nor the way of sich as sailed with him.--And here,
sure enough, is my mate Bill, with a spy-glass under his arm, bless his
old 'art, to be sure. You and me'll just go back into the parlour, sonny,
and get behind the door, and we'll give Bill a little surprise--bless his
'art, I say again."

So saying, the stranger backed along with me into the parlour, and put me
behind him in the corner, so that we were both hidden by the open door. I
was very uneasy and alarmed, as you may fancy, and it rather added to my
fears to observe that the stranger was certainly frightened himself. He
cleared the hilt of his cutlass and loosened the blade in the sheath; and
all the time we were waiting there he kept swallowing as if he felt what
we used to call a lump in the throat.

At last in strode the captain, slammed the door behind him, without
looking to the right or left, and marched straight across the room to
where his breakfast awaited him.

"Bill," said the stranger, in a voice that I thought he had tried to make
bold and big.

The captain spun round on his heel and fronted us; all the brown had gone
out of his face, and even his nose was blue; he had the look of a man who
sees a ghost, or the Evil One, or something worse, if anything can be;
and, upon my word, I felt sorry to see him, all in a moment, turn so old
and sick.

"Come, Bill, you know me; you know an old shipmate, Bill, surely," said
the stranger.

The captain gave a sort of gasp.

"Black Dog!" said he.

"And who else?" returned the other, getting more at his ease. "Black Dog
as ever was, come for to see his old shipmate Billy, at the 'Admiral
Benbow' inn. Ah, Bill, Bill, we have seen a sight of times, us two, since
I lost them two talons," holding up his mutilated hand.

"Now, look here," said the captain; "you've run me down; here I am; well,
then, speak up: what is it?"

"That's you, Bill," returned Black Dog, "you're in the right of it,
Billy. I'll have a glass of rum from this dear child here, as I've took
such a liking to; and we'll sit down, if you please, and talk square,
like old shipmates."

When I returned with the rum, they were al