644 The Demon Ship. [DEC. 



Girod Jaqueminot, " and I not an imprudent to light it at de beenacle. 

 So I go just hold it over de lamp of Monsieur, and he sleep, sleep, snore, 

 snore all de while, and know noting. I have never seed one man dorme 

 so profound." 



I now heard the voices of the captain, Girod, and the ruffian in close 

 and earnest parlance. The expletives that graced it shall be omitted. 

 But what first confirmed my fears was the hearing our captain obse- 

 quiously address the ruffian-speaker as commander of the vessel, while 

 the former received from his companion the familiar appellative of Jack. 

 They were walking the deck, and their whispered speech only reached 

 me as they from time to time approached my cabin, and was again lost as 

 they receded. I thought, however, that Girod seemed, by stopping occa- 

 sionally, as if in the vehemence of speech, to draw them, as much as pos- 

 sible, towards my cabin. I then listened with an intentness which 

 made me almost fear to breathe. " But again I say, Jack," said the 

 voice of the real captain, " what are we to do with these fine passengers 

 of ours ? I am sick of this stage-play work ; and the men are tired, by 

 this time, of being kept down in the hold. We shall have them mutiny 

 if we stifle them much longer below. Look how that sail is sinking on 

 the horizon. She can never come up with us now. There be eight 

 good sacks in the forecastle, and we can spare them due ballast. That 

 would do the job decently enough for our passengers ha!" Here there 

 was something jocose in the captain's tone. " Oh ! mine goot captain, 

 you are man of speeret," observed Jaqueminot ; ' ' but were it not wise 

 to see dat sail no more, before we shew dat we no vile merchanters, but 

 men of de trade dat make de money by de valour." " There is some- 

 thing in that," observed Jack ; " if the convoy come up, and our pas- 

 sengers be missing, 'tis over with us. We can no longer pass for a trader; 

 and to hoist the Demon colours, and turn to with frigate and sloop both, 

 were to put rash odds against us." " And de coot sacks wasted for 

 noting/' said Jaqueminot, with a cool ingenuity that contrasted curiously 

 with his vehement and horror-stricken manner in my cabin. " Better 

 to wait one day two day parbleu ! tree day than spoil our sport by 

 de precipitation." " I grudge the keep of these dainty passengers all 

 this while," said the captain, roughly ; " my lady there, with her 

 chickens, and her conserves and her pasties ; and Mr. Mollvfiower Cap- 

 tain here, with his bottles of port and claret, and cups of chocolate and 

 Mocha coffee. Paying, too, forsooth ! with such princely airs for every 

 thing, as if we held not his money in our own hands already. Hunted 

 as we then were, 'twas no bad way of blinding governments, by passing 

 for traders, and getting monied passengers on board : but it behoves us to 

 think what's to be done now?" " My opinion is," said Jack, " that as 

 we have already put such violence on our habits, we keep up the farce 

 another day or two until we get into clear seas again. That vessel, 

 yonder, still keeps on the horizon, and she has good glasses on board." 

 " And the men ?" asked the captain. " I had rather, without more 

 debate, go into this hen-pen here, and down into the cabin below, and 

 in a quiet way do for our passengers, than stand the chance of a mutiny 

 among the crew." Here my very blood curdled in my veins. " Dat 

 is goot, and like mine brave capitain," said the Frenchman ; " and yet 

 Monsieur Jean say well mosh danger kill at present ; but why not have 

 de crew above deck vidout making no attention to de voyagers. Dey 

 take not no notice. Miladi tink but of moon, and stars, and book ; and 





