that set us all laughing. Then we played cards
for low stakes, and I won a few dollars. Next,
a bowl of punch was proposed, and the doctor
was enjoined to brew it. "A famous punchmaker
the doctor is," said the captain. The
black steward brought in the materials, and the
surgeon began his task in an elaborate manner.
Then the captain jumped up, and proposed to
show me his coins and other treasures while the
punch-making went on. As I lifted my eyes
from a tray of very curious Etruscan relics, I
happened to glance at the mirror opposite, and
there, to my wonder, methought I saw the doctor
shaking a white powder into his brew from a
paper he held in his hand. The captain's eyes
followed mine, and saw the reflexion in the
glass as well. He saw, too, my slight start.
"Powdered sugar, hey, doctor?" said he. "Yes,
to be sure," answered the man of healing. "I
always use lump, myself," remarked the captain;
"but that may be an old fashioned prejudice.
The result is undeniable, anyhow. Have
you seen these seals, sir? I bought them in
Athens." Powdered sugar! to be sure it was
powdered sugar, and I was an ass to be
suspecting Borgian sleights of hand in the
nineteenth century. But now we were asked to taste
of the punch. It was hot, fragrant, and very
tempting. The doctor flourished the ladle. We
all sat down, and held out our glasses, which
were filled. "Now, gentlemen, a toast," cried
the doctor; "The fatherland of our accomplished
visitor, Old England, and good luck to her!"
We all lifted our glasses. I as a good patriot
drained mine; and almost as I did so, noticed
that the others held full glasses to their lips,
but only made a feint of sipping. I caught the
captain's eyes fixed on me with a peculiar glance
of triumph and mockery. The doctor's face,
too, had a sneer on it, and the mate was
chuckling audibly. Meanwhile I reeled in my chair,
the glass quivered in my hand, there was a
humming in my brain as if of a million bees, and the
room was revolving like a top. I was giddy,
sick, blind, and a laugh rang in my ears as I
became insensible.

A dreadful roaring made me dream that I was
in a den of lions; next, that I was in the midst
of an earthquake; and lastly, to awake to a dull
sense that steam was being blown off somewhere,
but where or how, even when awake, I could
not conjecture. I had afterwards no doubt that
the steam-tug was then alongside. There were
all sorts of dull, confused noises, but none that
I understood. There were foul smells, too.
Something crawled over my face. Another
something, also with legs and antennæ, was
rustling at my ear; that was a cockroach, and
I swept it aside with disgust, but the drug still
overcame me, and I fell asleep again. From this
second slumber I was rudely awakened by a
shower of merciless kicks in the ribs, against
which not even morphia could make a sleeper
proof. My eyes opened with a jerk, and in the
dim light I could faintly discern the ill-looking
face of Nathan, second mate of the clipper, who
was swearing as hard as he kicked.

"Get up, ye skunk, and show your carcase
on deck."

"On deck!" said I, in a bewildered way;
"Why should I? where am I? Leave off, I
say; you hurt me."

"I'll jest break your bones, ef ye don't obey
orders," answered Nathan, tartly. "Cap'en
says hands are to be mustered to sign articles
afore sailing, and I've been told to rouse up the
skulkers; so up with you."

Indignation was but a tenth part of what I
felt. I made a lurching effort to rise, and tried
to catch Nathan by the throat, but was too
weak, and only got a grasp of the monkey-jacket,
for which he had now changed his shore-going
coat. Nathan laughed grimly as he caught me
by the arm.

"We'll larn ye," he said, "to respect an
officer, afore you've seen your last of blue water.
But I must git ye to quarters. Halloa! Jonadab
and Titus, ketch hold of the British skulker
here, and help him to tumble up."

Two brawny natives of Cape Cod came jumping
down a ladder, and, before I could remonstrate,
I was hustled up some steps, through a
hatchway, and finally found myself at the foot of
the mainmast, in broad day, and surrounded by
a crowd of men in all varieties of shabby dress.
The Bird of Freedom was in open water, standing
out to sea. There was "a sea on," and the
vessel was rolling and pitching quite enough to
account for the absence of any passengers from
deck, and enough, too, to make it difficult for
those recruits who had not their sea legs to
keep their feet.

Presently I saw advancing from the afterdeck
the treacherous skipper, Captain Malachi
Hodgson, accompanied by his three mates,
his supercargo, the surgeon, the carpenter,
the cooper, and a gruff man who officiated as
boatswain, the large crew requiring such an
official. Captain Hodgson was in his sea-going
clothes, a shabby old suit that had already borne
the souse of much salt water. He had a broad
belt round his waist, in which was stuck a
six-shot Colt's revolver, while a brass-hilted hanger
swung at his left side. Each of the mates, too,
as well as the boatswain, cooper, carpenter, &c.,
had a revolver and cutlass, ostentatiously
displayed. The captain's eye ranged along our
ranks, calculating and keen. I had thought that
he would wince when our glances met, and I
dare say I looked stern enough in my just
indignation, but I mistook him. His eye met
mine quite coldly and unconcernedly, and all he
deigned to say was,

"The forecastle hands will be picked from the
strongest, of course, Mr. Coffin. Put that man
along with them."

And as his forefinger pointed me out, Jonadab
and Titus whisked me a little on one side, where
several quiet large-limbed mariners were standing
and chewing their quids. "That man!"
It was thus he designated one who but yesterday
had been his flattered guest. I choked with
wrath, and when I did find my tongue, my
voice was so peremptory and loud, that