haps run away with the vessel altogether.

The only person in whom I could confide was Paul. I knew that I could
trust him thoroughly, but then I suspected that he was not a better
navigator than I was, as he had only served on board a man-of-war and
merchantmen, when he would not have been able to learn anything about
the matter.

The captain caught sight of me through the open door of his berth, as I
was poring over the chart spread out on the table of the main cabin.
"What are you about, Harry?" he asked.

I told him that I was looking at the chart to see what course we ought
to steer.

"Don't trouble yourself about that, lad," he answered; "I shall be well
as soon as the breeze comes. It's this hot calm keeps me down. If the
wind had continued, I should have been myself again by this time, though
I have had a narrow squeak for it I'll allow."

His face looked so pale and haggard, his eyes so sunken, his voice so
weak and trembling, that I could not help fearing that he was mistaken.
I was unwilling to alarm him, but it was so important that I should know
how to act in case of his death, that I could not help saying,--"But
suppose anything was to happen to you, sir, what should you advise me to
do?"

"I do not intend that anything shall happen to me, Harry," he answered,
evidently annoyed at my remark. "After having got this valuable cargo
on board we must not think of such a thing. Why Harry, in all my
voyages I have never collected half so rich a freight."

"I earnestly hope that you may recover your health, sir," I said. "I
mentioned the subject simply in case of accidents, and I did not suppose
that you would be offended."

"Of course I am not, Harry," he replied. "You don't suppose that I am a
coward and afraid to die; and if it was not for the sake of the vessel
and her freight, I should not care, I fancy, so much about the matter;
but it would never do now to knock under--so don't, Harry, put those
gloomy thoughts again into my head."

On going on deck I told Paul my fears about the captain. "Yes, he very
bad," he said; "but I more sorry about him soul. He think more of the
cargo, which may go to the bottom in one moment, than of his soul, which
live for ever and ever. O Massa Harry, we must speak again to him about
dat. We will plead with him with tears in our eyes, that he think about
his soul, and we will tell him not to trouble about the vessel."

Without loss of time we went to the