served round, and let them bring a cup of brandy for our maritime friend
here; he must wet his whistle, I suppose, or he will never be able to
spin a yarn in true, orthodox, sailor fashion. Sit down, friend, and
begin.'

'I drink when I am dry, my lord,' said the seaman, 'and I prefer
standing to casting anchor here.'

'Have it your own way, then, but proceed, we are all attention.'

'I had shipped as mate on board a vessel bound from Valparaiso to
Virginia, some years ago, when, getting short of provisions, we put into
Lima, on the coast of Peru. Here we took on as passenger, an English
gentleman in bad health, who was said to be enormously rich, but who
bore a very bad character, people said he had murdered his brother's
child, or had him put out of the way, to obtain his inheritance, but he
was a rich man and justice was quiet. He had noble blood in his veins,
and had been sent out by government as ambassador, or something of that
sort. One of our crew came from his native village, and he told me these
particulars.'

A singular expression came over the Earl's features for a moment, and
the same low, mocking laugh was again heard, the listeners shuddered and
drew closer together: the mariner proceeded.

'We had a rough passage, but when we neared Cape Horn, of all the gales
that ever blew in five-and-forty years that I have been at sea, I never
saw one like that. One night when the storm was at its utmost, when the
lightning, blue and vivid, seemed to surround us with an atmosphere of
flame, he rushed upon deck, pale and trembling, declaring he could not