The tent was pitched, the fire was lighted, and all the articles taken on shore rolled up and stowed away in their places; they were seen to sit down and dine, for they were within hail of the ship, and then one of the casks of wine was spiled.

In the meantime the Spaniard, who was a quiet lad, had prepared the dinner for Easy and his now only companion.

The evening closed, and all was noise and revelry on shore; and as they danced, and sung, and tossed off the cans of wine by the light of the fire, as they hallooed and screamed, and became more and more intoxicated, Mesty turned to Jack with his bitter smile, and only said-- "Stop a little." At last the noise grew fainter, the fire died away, and gradually all was silent.

Jack was still hanging over the gangway when Mesty came up to him.

The new moon had just risen, and Jack's eyes were fixed upon it.
"Now, Massa Easy, please you come aft and lower down little boat; take your pistols, and then we go on shore and bring off the cutter; they all asleep now." "But why should we leave them without a boat, Mesty ?" for Jack thought of the sharks, and the probability of the men attempting to swim off.
"I tell you, sar, this night they get drunk, to-morrow they get drunk again, but drunken men never keep quiet,--suppose one man say to others, 'Let's go board and kill officer, and then we do as we please,' they all say yes, and they all come and do it.