WHALEMAN ON THE STAGE. 165 



and crew and cabin-boy of a craft eight feet long 

 and just fifteen inches wide. But I says to myself, 

 i Pierce, you fool, you're in for it now, so trust 

 to luck for your miserable life. If you don't 

 do the act that Jones will tell the crew, and then 

 you'll have hell afloat the rest of the voyage. 



" Well, Cap'n Robbins, you remember that 

 night I took my leave. You thought I'd gone 

 overboard, didn't you ? You was dead right, cap'n, 

 dead right, right as a right whale. That's just 

 where I had gone. But you thought I'd lost the 

 number of my mess, and in that you were all 

 wrong ! " 



I stared at Pierce, my eyes big with wonder. 

 The Sag Harbor captain stared at me, a broad 

 grin covering his hard red face as he watched me 

 take in this ridiculous confirmation of his story. 



I said nothing. 



"Go on, Pierce," said Pierce's captain. 



" Well," said the sailor, " you've got most of the 

 yarn a' ready, sir. But, Lord ! how my heart 

 sickened when I heard that stage go plunk into 

 the water on the Pope's bow. Then I slipped 

 down onto it and let go. It was all I could do 

 not to holler for help as the stage slipped aft in 

 the swash. Oh, but I was sick o' the job ! After 

 awhile I did holler, but it was too late. Nobody 



