never allow one to be killed if he could help it, for he claimed for them
that they were the souls of drowned sailors, hence their love of ships
and their habit of leaving them when they became unseaworthy. He was a
firm believer in the transmigration of souls, some idea of which he had,
no doubt, picked up in Eastern ports, and gave his shivering auditors to
understand that his arrangements for his own immediate future were
already perfected.

We were six or seven days out when a strange thing happened. Dadd had
the second watch one night, and Bill was to relieve him. They were not
very strict aboard the brig in fair weather, and when a man's time was
up he just made the wheel fast, and, running for'ard, shouted down the
fo'c's'le. On this night I happened to awake suddenly, in time to see
Bill slip out of his bunk and stand by me, rubbing his red eyelids with
his knuckles.

"Dadd's giving me a long time," he whispered, seeing that I was awake;
"it's a whole hour after his time."

He pattered up on deck, and I was just turning over, thankful that I was
too young to have a watch to keep, when he came softly down again, and,
taking me by the shoulders, shook me roughly.

"Jack," he whispered. "Jack."

I raised myself on my elbows, and, in the light of the smoking lamp, saw
that he was shaking all over.

"Come on deck," he said, thickly.