164 WHALEMAN ON THE STAGE. 



" Fact is," he began reluctantly, " Stormy Jones 

 and I got sick 'o the voyage. Nothin' personal, 

 Cap'n, only we just thought we'd got to have a 

 change. 



*' So I says to Jones, ' shipmate,' says I, ' let's 

 move ! ' 



" ' Avast,' says he, ' where the deuce' 11 we 

 move to ? ' 



" Then says I to Jones, 'Stormy,' says I, ' you 

 know them stages ? ' 



" ' What o' them stages ? ' Jones asks, never 

 taking my meaning. 



" Then I says to Jones, ' Bear a bob, messmate, 

 till I tell you the news. This is what we'll up 

 and do. We'll lower one of them stages over the 

 ship's bows in the middle o' some dark night and 

 we'll float away on it, us two, and before we're 

 old and gray and toothless some ship or other'll 

 come along and' pick us up.' 



" ' Risky,' says Jones. 



" ' Aye, aye, sir,' says I, ' Its risky, maybe, and 

 risky maybe not. Ships go in schools like cow 

 whales on these here grounds. Say we try it, my 

 man ! ' 



" Then Stormy agrees, old hypocrit as he is, 

 and next thing you know he goes and backs out 

 of it, and I finds myself turned captain and mate 



