'Then,' says the captain, with an oath that was enough to split the
mast, 'I'll play with him! It's not been the first time, and it mayn't
be the last. Go for'ard, you beggars' brats, and don't disturb us;'
and he went down the companion.

But we did not go for'ard. No; we stretched ourselves on the deck, and
peeped down the skylight. We could only see faintly, but we did see
the captain sitting, holding his hand of cards, and another hand
opposite, all spread out, but no fingers holding it, and no man behind
it. There was a rap on the table, and I am sure it was not the captain
that struck it.

'Very well,' says he; 'wait till I've thought. You're so confounded
sharp.'

Then he played, and there was a dark shadow on the table--we did not
know what, but it made our hair stand on end.

'Play fair, Old Un!' says the captain. 'There goes king of trumps. Ha!
that's what I thought! Of course, the devil's own luck--it's a
proverb. Well, never say die. There!' and he played again.

But we could stand it no longer. We scrambled to our legs, and the
next minute were down in fo'castle, rousing the men. They were sleepy
enough, you may be bound; but we almost lugged them out of the
hammocks. 'Turn out, turn out, shipmates, for God's-sake: the devil's
aboard this ship, and he's playing cards with the captain in the
cabin.' At first, mates, the hands thought we had gone mad; but we
both of us told in a breath what we had seen; and so in a minute or
two we all went aft, creeping like cats along the deck. But there was