"What's in it?" I asked.

"'Deed, I doan know, man, jest what is in it, but I reckon it's something
what worries him. Dat an' Cap'n Andrews forrads worries him some. Chips,
he say as dey goes aft an' have matters straightened out a bit. Dey is
fo' either weldin' irons on de cap'n forrads or puttin' him on de beach.
Jim, Hans, Bendin, an' Frenchy an' a lot more are fo' doing' somethin'
with him. Yessah, dey is dat. Hab a leetle nip 'fore yo' goes?"

I took one and went back to the quarter-deck. The speck to leeward showed
a bit of storm canvas flying, and we soon could make out she was a large
ship hove to like ourselves on the port tack. Her hull showed now and
again on the seas, and after drifting down toward her for about an hour,
the light grew strong enough to make her out plainly. She was a large
ship, English built, with a turtle-backed stern, painted white on the
tumble-home of the quarter. Her hull was black, and the foam showed in
long white lines of streamers as it was blown across her topsides. She
was making heavy weather of it, and every now and again she would ram her
nose clear out of sight in the high-rolling sea. Then she would rise
heavily, with the white water pouring from her dripping forefoot and
wallow dismally, until her weather rail would appear to roll under.

The stump of a foremast showed forward and a stout maintopsail strained
away amidships, while aft, where the mizzen should have been, there was
nothing showing above her deck. Her main topgallant mast was also gone at
the cross-trees, but the maintopsail held strongly. Altogether she was
pretty well wrecked aloft.

While we watched her we drew nearer, and when she came within a couple of
miles I could make out a flag, the English ensign, union down, in the