I felt hurt. “I had not expected this from you, sir, and–––”
“Hush!” said he, “I do not blame you. You have done right; but why will not the government at home take some decisive measures to put an end to this horrible traffic, and so prevent scenes like this from occurring?”
We spoke for some time on this subject, and my friends grew so warm that many bitter speeches were made, and the conversation became unpleasant.
“Well, gentlemen,” said I at last, “I don’t know how you feel, but I am completely knocked up; fortunately it is now calm, and I think we shall sleep well, and so, good night.”
We went to bed, and the sun was already some distance above the horizon when we awoke on the next morning. It had been perfectly calm during the night, and we found ourselves still so near the scene of the preceding day’s combat, that several corpses were swimming around the vessel. As I went forward I was not a little alarmed to see the number of black faces that were there.
“Master Tailtackle, how many of these poor creatures have we on board?”
“Fifty-nine in the hold, sir, and thirty-five on deck.”
At this moment Bangs walked out of the tent and approached the spot where I stood. Hardly was he perceived by the blacks, when the cry of “Shiek Cowloo,” rent the air. Bangs was greatly startled at this unexpected salute, for he had forgotten his heroic deeds of yesterday, and did not know what to attribute it to; at last the cause of it seemed to strike him, for he rushed back to the tent with a roar of laughter. I went down into the cabin and sat down to breakfast with Gelid and Wagtail. Suddenly we heard Bangs cry out, “Pegtop! come here, Pegtop––do you hear? Help me to tie my cravat––that’s right. Now I will go on deck.”
Here Pearl, the black quarter-master, was impatiently waiting for him.