At this moment, the stranger’s whistling came clear upon their ears; there was the same wild, unearthly notes as before, but the cadences were stronger, and there was a supernatural clearness in all the tones. “There now,” said another, “he’s kicking the water cask with his heels.” “Confound the binnacle!” said the captain; “it sounds like short peals of thunder. Go and talk to him, lads.” “And if that won’t do, sir, may we—” “Don’t ask me any questions. I don’t think a score of the best men that were ever born could move him.” “I don’t mind trying,” said one. Upon this the whole of the men moved to the spot where the water casks were standing and the stranger lay. There was he, whistling like fury, and, at the same time, beating his heels to the tune against the empty casks. We came up to him, and he took no notice of us at all, but kept on in the same way. “Hilloa!” shouted one. “Hilloa!” shouted another. No notice, however, was taken of us, and one of our number, a big, herculean fellow, an Irishman, seized him by the leg, either to make him get up, or, as we thought, to give him a lift over our heads into the sea. However, he had scarcely got his fingers round the calf of the leg, when the stranger pinched his leg so tight against the water cask, that he could not move, and was as effectually pinned as if he had been nailed there. The stranger, after he had finished a bar of the music, rose gradually to a sitting posture, and without the aid of his hands, and looking the unlucky fellow in the face, he said,— “Well, what do you want?” “My hand,” said the fellow. “Take it then,” he said. He did take it, and we saw that there was blood on it. The stranger stretched out his left hand, and taking him by the breech, he lifted him, without any effort, upon the water-cask beside him. We all stared at this, and couldn’t help it; and we were quite convinced we could not throw him overboard, but he would probably have no difficulty in throwing us overboard. “Well, what do you want?” he again exclaimed to us all. We looked at one another, and had scarce courage to speak; at length I said,— “We wish you to leave off whistling.” “Leave off whistling!” he said. “And why should I do anything of the kind?” “Because it brings the wind.” “Ha! ha! why, that’s the very reason I am whistling, to bring the wind.” “But we don’t want so much.” “Pho! pho! you don’t know what’s good for you—it’s a beautiful breeze, and not a bit too stiff.” “It’s a hurricane.” “Nonsense.” “But it is.” “Now you see how I’ll prove you are wrong in a minute. You see my hair, don’t you?” he said, after he took off his cap. “Very well, look now.” He got up on the water-cask, and stood bolt upright; and running his fingers through his hair, made it all stand straight on end. “Confound the binnacle!” said the captain, “if ever I saw the like.”