a drunken frenzy drag a black flag with a rudely painted skull and
cross-bones from the signal-chest, and with uncertain fingers toggle it
to the ensign haulyards and hoist to the peak, where it fluttered grimly
in the light wind like an evil augur on a fair day. At sight of it the
wretches on deck fell to shouting and huzzaing, Griggs standing leering
up at it. Then he gravely pulled off his hat and made it a bow, and
turned upon me.

"Salute it, ye lubberly! Ye are no first-rate here," he thundered.
"Salute the flag!"

Unless fear had kept me sober, 'tis past my understanding why I was not
as drunk as he. Be that as it may, I was near as quarrelsome, and would
as soon have worshipped the golden calf as saluted that rag. I flung
back some reply, and he lugged out and came at me with a spring like a
wild beast; and his men below, seeing us fall out, made a rush for the
poop with knives and cutlasses drawn. Betwixt them all I should soon
have been in slivers had not the main shrouds offered themselves handy.
And up them I sprung, the captain cutting at my legs as I left
the sheer-pole, and I stopped not until I reached the schooner's
cross-trees, where I drew my cutlass. They pranced around the mast and
showered me with oaths, for all the world like a lot of howling dogs
which had treed a cat.

I began to feel somewhat easier, and cried aloud that the first of
them who came up after me would go down again in two pieces. Despite my
warning a brace essayed to climb the ratlines, as pitiable an attempt as
ever I witnessed, and fell to the deck again. 'Twas a miracle that they
missed falling into the sea. And after a while, becoming convinced
that they could not get at me, and being too far gone to shoot with any
accuracy, they tumbled off the poop swearing to serve me in a hundred
horrible ways when they caught me, and fell again to drinking and
quarrelling amongst themselves. I was indeed in an unenviable plight,
by no means sure that I would not be slain out of hand when they became
sufficiently sober to capture me. As I marked the progress of their
damnable orgy I cast about for some plan to take advantage of their
condition. I observed that a stupor was already beginning to overcome a
few of them. Then suddenly an incident happened to drive all else from
my mind.

Nothing less, my dears, than a white speck of sail gleaming on the
southern horizon!

For an hour I watched it, now in a shiver of apprehension lest i