108 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OR, 



cook's fire. But he had lost the run of old Captain Springer 

 for years, and did not know he was dead till he now met 

 him here at Porter Islands. He pounced upon the terrapin 

 at once, intending, as he said, to have the only good dinner 

 that he ever got out of the " stingy cuss." Old Jim may be 

 right; on a fair vote, a majority of mankind would agree 

 with him in his doctrine of transmigration, and our boat's 

 crew would count with the winning side. It will be rather 

 a pleasant relish to fat pork and plain boiled rice to have 

 fivescore of captains looking on for the next six months 

 through hungry terrapin eyes. Jim bestowed a blessing 

 and a kick on Springer's senseless shell, knocked out the 

 ashes of his pipe on his obdurate brow, and rolled over in 

 the inviting grass to dream of home or Fiddler's Green. 

 We followed suit, first taking the shoes from our blistered 

 feet, after our habit of sleeping barefooted on board ship, 

 and turning into the luxury of a clean bed without cock- 

 roaches. Who among men has kept a journal of his dreams? 

 Surely in my sea-life the hours in dream-land were the most 

 enjoyable, and quite as good in a business way as .fussy 

 waking -time. Yawning, and terribly asleep, I answered, 

 " Ay, ay," to the midnight summons of " Watch on deck." 

 This setting a nightwatch on a fast anchored isle, arose from 

 the fixed habit of sea-life; for in the sailor's existence he 

 must count sure on two things the watch on deck and death 

 at the end of it. 



The glint of the moonlight from the rippling water trou- 

 bled my dry, heavy eyes, and with the constitutional growl 

 of the forecastle I blessed the eyes of my disturber, and 

 took a seat on the back of a terrapin, and found it cooler 

 than the surrounding lava. Now came waking dreams in 

 the novelty and silence of a land -watch. The brawling 

 brook and old saw-mill, the Jcreetching cider-mill, and ranges 

 of barrels with convenient straws. And then the dear old 



