cceeded by others, proceeding from the same lips.

"Gorramity!" spoke the strange voice, "who de debbil call dar? Dat
some'dy in de boat? Dat you, Capten? Am it you, Massa Grow?"

"A negro," muttered Ben to his companion. "It's Snowball, the cook. It
can't be anybody but him. In the name o' Neptune how has the darkey got
there? What's he aboard o'? He warn't on the great raft wi' the rest.
I thought he'd gone off in the captain's gig. If that wur so, then it's
the boat that is near us."

"No," replied William, "I'm sure I saw Snowball by the caboose after the
gig had rowed away. As he wasn't with them on the big raft, I supposed
he'd been drowned, or burned up in the ship. Surely, it's his voice?
There it is again!"

"Ship ahoy-hoy-hoy!" once more came the words pealing over the water in
a loud prolonged drawl. "Ship ahoy, some'dy call out dar? What ship am
dat? Am it a ship at all? Or am it some o' de wreck Pandoray?"

"Castaways," responded Ben. "Castaways of the bark _Pandora_, Who
calls? Snowball! Be it you?"

"Dat same chile,--who am you? Am it you, massa Capten,--in de gig?"

"No."

"Massa Grow, den, on de big raff?"

"Neither," responded the sailor. "It's Ben,--Ben Brace."

"Golly! you say so, Massa Brace! How you be dar, unless you on de big
raff?"

"I'm on a raft of my own. Have you one, Snowball?"

"Ya, massa Ben, ya! I make um out o' de wreck an de water-cask."

"Are ye all alone?"

"Not 'zackly dat. The pickaninny be long wi' me,--de cabing gal. You
know de lilly Lalee?"

"Oh! she it be!" muttered Ben, now remembering the little cabin
passenger of the Pandora. "You bean't movin', be you?"

"No," responded Snowball, "lying on de water like a log o' 'hogany wood.
Han't move a mile ebba since de bustin' ob de powder ball."

"Keep your place then. We've got oars. We'll row down to you."

"We--you say we? You got some'dy sides yaself on dat raff?"

"Little Will'm."

"Lilly Willum,--ah? dat ere brave lilly lad. See 'im jess as I go down
in de cabin fo' get de pickaninny. See 'im forrard with axe,--he knock
off de gratin' ob de fore-hatch,--he set all dem 'ere niggas free. It
warn't no use,--not bit good o' dem. Dey all got eat up by de shark, or
dey go down straight to de bottom. Gorramity! how dey s'riek an'
'cream, an' jump overboard into de water!"

Neither the sailor nor Little William paid any heed to the negro's
half-soliloquised narrative, further