188 DOGGED JACK.

brought, ceased speaking, but looked an utterly
confused and unhappy boy.
 "Ay, ay, I see," cried the astute old Joe, "you
 weren't the chap, you were White, and you were afraid
 of bringing the fellow you call Jones into trouble in
 clearing yourself, so you run away in the 'Egeria,' oh,
 lor, lor!" burst out the old man in an uncontrollable
 fit of laughter.
 "Oh, hush! hush! I beg, I pray of you to let
 nobody know of it; all I have told you, I spoke
 to you of in confidence," cried Jack in an agony
 of fear, taking the old tar's horny hand in both
 his.
 "Bless your heart, youngster, don't go and put
yourself in a fluster about any such foolish notions,"
said Joe kindly, as he perceived the boy's real
distress; "there isn't any danger of the chap being
hung; they don't hang fellows unless they intend to
k ill."
 "Oh, he didn't intend, indeed, indeed, he didn't,"
cried Jack, as earnestly as though the sailor were his
friend's judge; "he only did it to give Adolphus a
good fright, he never thought any real harm could
come of it."
 "Of course he didn't," replied Joe; "any jury
would see it was nothing but a child's trick; the most
that could be done to him would be to clap him into