the ship lay hereaway, just where I told you, boy, not a fathom ahead or astern, than where she is now riding, though the article was no heavier than a fresh handful of feathers for the captain’s pillow. Now, if you have any thing to gainsay the reason of this, why, I’m ready to hear it as a reasonable man, and one who has not forgotten his manners in learning his philosophy.” “S’pose a wind come out fresh here, at nor-west,” answered the other, stretching his brawny arm towards the point of the compass he named, “and a vessel want to get to sea in a hurry, how you t’ink he get her far enough up to lay through the weather reach? Ha! you answer me dat; you great scholar, misser Dick, but you never see ship go in wind’s teeth, or hear a monkey talk.” “The black is right!” exclaimed the youth, who, it would seem, had overheard the dispute, while he appeared otherwise engaged; “the slaver has left his vessel in the outer harbour, knowing that the wind holds so much to the westward at this season of the year; and then you see he keeps his light spars aloft, although it is plain enough, by the manner in which his sails are furled, that he is strong-handed. Can you make out, boys, whether he has an anchor under foot, or is he merely riding by a single cable?” “The man must be a driveller, to lie in such a tides-way, without dropping his stream, or at least a kedge, to steady the ship,” returned the white, with out appearing to think any thing more than the received practice of seamen necessary to decide the point. “That he is no great judge of an anchorage, I am ready to allow; but no man, who can keep things so snug aloft, would think of fastening his ship, for any length of time, by a single cable, to sheer starboard and port, like that kicking colt, tied to the tree by a long halter, that we fell in with, in our passage over land from Boston.” “’Em got a stream down, and all a rest of he anchors stowed,” said the black, whose dark eye was glancing understandingly at the vessel, while he still continued to east his pebbles into the air: “S’pose he jam a helm hard a-port, misser Harry, and take a tide on he larboard bow, what you t’ink make him kick and gallop about! Golly! I like to see Dick, without a foot-rope, ride a colt tied to tree!” Again the negro enjoyed his humour, by shaking his head, as if his whole soul was amused by the whimsical image his rude fancy had conjured, and indulged in a hearty laugh; and again his white companion muttered certain exceedingly heavy and sententious denunciations. The young man, who seemed to enter very little into the quarrels and witticisms of his singular associates, still kept his gaze intently fastened on the vessel, which to him appeared for the moment, to be the subject of some extraordinary interest. Shaking his own head, though in a far graver manner, as if his doubts were drawing to a close, he added, as the boisterous merriment or the negro ceased,—