ands one on either side of the cask, sank down, and then sprang up
again, cleverly passed his legs over the side and landed himself--as if
shot out by a spring--upon the deck, where he stood shrinking from the
light, yawned long and widely, and then said slowly:

"Oh, all right, boss. Bit hot and sleepy. What's o'clock?"

"Time you and your precious master were over the side," cried the
captain angrily.

The man or boy, whichever he was, turned in the direction of the voice,
blinking quickly in the faint rays of the lanthorn light as if even they
dazzled him, and went on:

"Who's him, boss?"

"That, Dan? That's the captain."

Brace burst into a hearty fit of laughter, in which his brother joined,
and after a brief pause this was taken up by the two mates and followed
by the men who were looking on.

"Ho!" cried the captain angrily: "it's a capital joke. Very funny, no
doubt; but it strikes me somebody's going to laugh on the wrong side of
his mouth. Just wait till it's daylight."

"Oh, it's all right, skipper. You can't set us ashore now," said the
American, laughing.

"Can't I? Oh! we shall see about that, my fine fellow. If you think
I'm going on this voyage with a couple of lunatics on board you're
preciously mistaken. I'd sooner sail to Egypt with a cargo of black
cats."

"Hark at him," said the American merrily to Sir Humphrey and his
brother. "He likes his joke."

"Joke, sir?" cried the captain. "You'll find this no joke, Mr Yankee
Doodle."

"Go along with you, captain. Yankee Doodle knows John Bull better than
he knows himself. You're not going to make me believe you'll set me and
my man ashore and leave us in a savage place to die of starvation and
ague."

"You soon will believe it, though, sir," said the captain; but in spite
of his annoyance he could not thoroughly infuse his tones with
sincerity.

"You're only blowing, skipper, when you might be taking pity on that
poor chap of mine who's been shut up in the barrel all these hours
without giving a single squeak; and all because he'd risk anything so as
to go with his master. That's true, isn't it, Dan?"

"Yes, that's right, boss," replied the little fellow, who kept passing
his tongue over his lips.

"Hungry, Dan?"

"No, boss. Thirsty. Horrid."

"Did you finish your bottle of water?"

"No, boss; I couldn't get the cork in proper, and when I knocked it over
while I was asleep the cork came out and all the water ran aw