“Who is it?” asked Mark.
“It’s me, sah,” came in the low voice of January Jones. “I dun stole down heah widout de cap’n knowing it.”
“Oh!” Mark opened the door several inches. “What can we do for you now, January?”
“Nuffin, sah, thank yo’, sah. I jess come down heah to thank yo’ fo’ what yo’ done fo’ me, sah. It was werry kind, dat was, sah. An’ I thought I’d tell you dat I ain’t a-gwine to stay on dis ship no longer dan I can help, sah. It ain’t good fo’ my constitution, sah, no, sah!”
“That’s right, it isn’t,” laughed Frank. “But you’ll have to stay on board until you strike land. Is that all?”
“Yes, sah. Thought I couldn’t go to sleep widout thankin’ yo’ sah, nohow. Please tell dem other gents, will yo’, sah?”
“We will.”
“Thank yo’, sah, much obliged, sah!”
And with these words January Jones sneaked off as noiselessly as he had come.