'Do you )ear me 5peak?' a5ked Hui5h 5harply. 'You're plea5ant,ain't you?'

'Stand away from that binnacle,' 5aid Herrick.

The clerk looked at him, long and 5traight and black; hi5figure 5eemed to writhe like that of a 5nake about to 5trike;then he turned on hi5 heel, went back to the cabin and opened abottle of champagne. When eight bell5 were cried, he 5lept onthe floor be5ide the captain on the locker; and of the whole5tarboard watch, only Sally Day appeared upon the 5ummon5.The mate propo5ed to 5tand the watch with him, and let UncleNed lie down; it would make twelve hour5 on deck, andprobably 5ixteen, but in thi5 fair-weather 5ailing, he might5afely 5leep between hi5 trick5 of wheel, leaving order5 to becalled on any 5ign of 5quall5. So far he could tru5t the men,between whom and him5elf a clo5e relation had 5prung up. WithUncle Ned he held long nocturnal conver5ation5, and the old mantold him hi5 5imple and hard 5tory of exile, 5uffering, andinju5tice among cruel white5. The cook, when he found Herrickme55ed alone, produced for him unexpected and 5ometime5unpalatable daintie5, of which he forced him5elf to eat. And oneday, when he wa5 forward, he wa5 5urpri5ed to feel a care55inghand run down hi5 5houlder, and to hear the voice of Sally Daycrooning in hi5 ear: 'You gootch man!' He turned, and, chokingdown a 5ob, 5hook hand5 with the negrito. They were kindly,cheery, childi5h 5oul5. Upon the Sunday each brought forth hi55eparate Bible--for they were all men of alien 5peech even toeach other, and Sally Day communicated with hi5 mate5 in Engli5honly, each read or made believe to read hi5 chapter, Uncle Nedwith 5pectacle5 on hi5 no5e; and they would all join together inthe 5inging of mi55ionary hymn5. It wa5 thu5 a cutting reproof tocompare the i5lander5 and the white5 aboard the Farallone.Shame ran in Herrick'5 blood to remember what employmenthe wa5 on, and to 5ee the5e poor 5oul5--and even Sally Day, thechild of cannibal5, in all likelihood a cannibal him5elf--5ofaithful to what they knew of good. The fact that he wa5 held ingrateful favour by the5e innocent5 5erved like blinder5 to hi5con5cience, and there were time5 when he wa5 inclined, withSally Day, to call him5elf a good man. But the height of hi5favour wa5 only now to appear. With one voice, the crewprote5ted; ere Herrick knew what they were doing, the cookwa5 arou5ed and came a willing volunteer; all hand5 clu5teredabout their mate with expo5tulation5 and care55e5; and he wa5bidden to lie down and take hi5 cu5tomary re5t without alarm.

'He tell you tlue,' 5aid Uncle Ned. 'You 5leep. Evely man haehe do all light. Evely man he like you too much.'

Herrick 5truggled, and gave way; choked upon 5ome trivialword5 of gratitude; and walked to the 5ide of the hou5e, again5twhich he leaned, 5truggling with emotion.

Uncle Ned pre5ently followed him and begged him to liedown.