considered quite natural under the circumstances), seemed entirely
unabated. He said little, and that moodily, and with evident effort. I
ventured a jest or two, and he made a sickening attempt at a smile. Poor
fellow! as I thought of his wife I wondered that he could have heart to
put on even the semblance of mirth. At last I ventured a home thrust. I
determined to commence a series of covert insinuations, or innuendos,
about the oblong box, just to let him perceive, gradually, that I was
not altogether the butt, or victim, of his little bit of pleasant
mystification. My first observation was by way of opening a masked
battery. I said something about the "peculiar shape of that box"; and,
as I spoke the words I smiled knowingly, winked, and touched him gently
with my forefinger in the ribs.

The manner in which Wyatt received this harmless pleasantry convinced me
at once that he was mad. At first he stared at me as if he found it
impossible to comprehend the witticism of my remark; but as its point
seemed slowly to make its way into his brain, his eyes, in the same
proportion, seemed protruding from their sockets. Then he grew very red,
then hideously pale, then, as if highly amused with what I had
insinuated, he began a loud and boisterous laugh, which, to my
astonishment, he kept up, with gradually increasing vigour, for ten
minutes or more. In conclusion, he fell flat and heavily upon the deck.
When I ran to uplift him, to all appearance he was dead.

I called assistance, and, with much difficulty, we brought him to
himself. Upon reviving he spoke incoherently for some time. At length we
bled him and put him to bed. The next morning he was quite recovered, so
far as regarded his mere bodily health. Of his mind I say nothing, of
course. I avoided him during the rest of the passage, by advice of the
Captain, who seemed to coincide with me altogether in my views of his
insanity, but cautioned me to say nothing on this head to any person on
board.

Several circumstances occurred immediately after this fit of Wyatt's
which contributed to heighten the curiosity with which I was already
possessed. Among other things, this: I had been nervous; drank too much
strong green tea, and slept ill at night,--in fact, for two nights I
could not be properly said to sleep at all. Now, my stateroom opened
into the main cabin or dining-room, as did those of all the single men
on board. Wyatt's three rooms were in the after-cabin, whic