long 's de _Catamaran_ hold togedda."

"I war 'stonished," continued the sailor, without heeding the odd
interpolation of the sea-cook, "wonderful 'stonished when that
flyin'-fish chucked itself aboard our bit o' plankin', an' it no bigger
than the combin' o' a hatchway. What kud 'a conducted it thear,--to
that spot above all others o' the broad ocean? What but the hand o'
that angel as sits up aloft? No, Snowy! ye may talk as ye like 'bout
your Duppys and Jumbes, and that other creetur ye call your Fetush; but
I tell ye, nigger, thear be somethin' up above us as is above all
them,--an' that's the God o' the Christyun. He be thear; and He sent
the flyin'-fish into our wee bit o' raft, and He sent the shower as
saved me and little Will'm from dyin' o' thust; and He it war that made
you an' me drift to'rds each other,--so as that we might work thegither
to get out o' this here scrape, as our own foolishness and wickedness
ha' got us into."

"Dat am de troof, Massa Brace, dat las' remark,--only not altogedder!
'T want altogedder our own fault dat brought us on board de slabe-ship
_Pandora_,--neider you not maseff. It mite a been our foolishness, dat
I do admit; but de wickedness war more de fault ob oder men, dat am
wickeder dan eider you or dis unfortunate Coromantee nigga."

"Never mind, Snowy," responded the sailor, "I know there be still some
good in ye; and maybe there be good in all o' us, to be favoured and
protected as we've been in the midst o' so many dangers. I think after
what's happened this day,--especially our escaping from that sharks an'
the long swim as we had to make after'ards,--we ought to be uncommon
thankful, and say somethin' to show it, too."

"Say something! say what, Massa Brace?"

"I mean a prayer."

"Prayer! wha's dat?"

"Surely, Snowy, you know what a prayer be?"

"Nebba heerd ob de ting,--nebba in all ma life!"

"Well, it be to say somethin' to Him as keeps watch up aloft,--either by
way o' askin' for somethin' you want to get, or thankin' Him for what
you ha' got arready. The first be called a prayer,--the t'other be a
thanksgivin'. Thear ain't much difference, as I could ever see; tho'
I've heerd the ship's chaplain go through 'em both,--ay, scores o'
times; but the one as we want now be the thanksgivin'; an' I know little
Will'm here can go through it like a breeze. Did you ever hear Will'm
pray, Snowy?"

"Nebba! I tell ye, Massa Brace, a nebba heer anybody pray in de