240 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

few moments it dawned upon the sailor's mind that the
old man was inviting him to enter the galley.

“ Looks like as if you’d been taken mighty bad,” he
said, as he approached the steward. “Haven't you got
over the scare yet?” .

“I’se lowin’ you’se done gone made a mistake ef you
reckon I was skeered while de shootin’ was goin’ on. I
des staid wid de fust mate.”

«Yes, an’ a precious deal of good you must have done
him. When I saw you there you was curled up in one
corner like a sick kitten what was waitin’ fur a fit to come
on. But what’s crawlin’ on you now?”

«TI des wanted to arsk which one ob de men was it,
what done gone got shot in de fo’castle?”

«Oh, you mean Bart, I reckon.”

« Am he used up mighty bad?”

“Well, it Il be a decent long while afore he can do
much hornpipe dancin’, an’ now the captain’s got him done
up in cloth enough to make the brig a maintopsail. I
reckon he’s kinder tied down ‘in one place. It would a’
been a good job for him, ’cordin’ to my way of thinkin’, if
he’d followed the coolies over the rail.”

« Am he ferocerous?”

«What ?”

_ “Am it safe to go whar he be? I’se des ben makin’
de mate sum brof, an’ ef he’s done gone got hurted bad,
it seems like as ef it would n’ be more’n Christian charity
ter feed him up a bit.”

“Oh, if that’s the course you’re steerin’, go ahead,