e, bo, in a brace o' shakes," said Hiram, rousing himself and polling
up the fire. "I dessay I'm a doggoned fool to be skeart like thet, but
I'd hev taken my davy I put the durned thing in my chest a month ago--I
would so; an' then the stooard comed in with his yarn on top o' what
Cholly sed o' seein' Sam's ghost t'other day, an'--an' I'm a durned
fool; thet's all I sez!"

"You're none the worse for that, bo," observed Tom, with a grin at the
American's rather shamefaced apology foe his superstitious fears; and
Hiram presently joined in the laugh against himself, as he busied
himself in stirring the coppers and tasting the tea, to see whether it
was all right yet. I, also, began to feel more comfortable in my mind;
while a little colour crept into Morris Jones' pale face, which had
become as white as a sheet before Tom's advent on the scene, the steward
looking as if he were going to faint from fright.

It is wonderful what an effect the courage of one man has in restoring
the confidence of others under such circumstances!

Bustling about the galley, ladling out the contents of the coppers as
the men came up one by one with their pannikins for their tea, I quickly
forgot my scare of a minute or so agone. So, too, apparently, did the
steward, who commenced preparing the captain's dinner, as soon as the
fire had burnt up and he could get space enough to use his frying-pan;
while, as for Hiram, he was singing away in fine style at his work,
dishing up some lobscouse for the men's supper, in friendly rivalry of
Morris Jones, whom he could `give points to' and easily beat in the
cooking line, none of us troubling ourselves any longer with any
recollection of poor Sam Jedfoot or his ghost.

The gale continued to ease down, and the heavy, rolling sea gradually
subsided as night sped on; but, the wind veering round in the middle
watch more to the northwards of west, we had to come about on the port
tack, steering west-nor'-west, more in towards the Cape. We had plenty
of sea room to do this, though, from the good offing we had previously
made, being at least five or six degrees well to the southward of the
stormy headland at our last reckoning, before the gale came on.

All next day the men were busy getting up a couple of old topsails out
of the forepeak and patching them up to take the place of those that had
been blown away; and these when got up were close-reefed beforehand,
prior to being set, as the wind was fresh