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Fo' de lub o' de great Gorramity, hole on!" Ben needed not the stimulus of this pathetic appeal. He was holding on to the utmost of his strength. He could not have added another pound to the pull. He dared not even renew either his attitude, or the grip he had upon the rope. The slightest movement he might make would endanger the life of his black-skinned comrade.
"Poor lilly Lally!" cried he, in a voice that betrayed his anxiety. "O Mass' Ben! fo' de lub o' Gorramity, swum to de right, round dat away, an' let me git 'tween you an de ravenin' beast. To de right! da's de way. Do yer bess, Mass' Brace, an' gi' me time get up. I take care o' de lubber ef I once get im widin reach o' dis chile's arm." The injunction thus uttered had the desired effect.
A rude, rough voice it was; but it is superfluous to say that, to the ears of Ben Brace and his youthful companion, it sounded sweeter than any music to which they had ever listened. The words "Ship ahoy!" were soon succeeded by others, proceeding from the same lips. "Gorramity!" spoke the strange voice, "who de debbil call dar? Dat some'dy in de boat? Dat you, Capten? Am it you, Massa Grow?"
The latter, in his sleep more sensible to touch than hearing, was at length aroused. "Gorramity!" cried he, suddenly starting to his knees, and endeavouring to disembarrass himself of the weight of little William, still scrambling upon his back. "Gorramity! What all dis fracas 'bout? Someb'dy shout `Hurrah? Ha! you, lilly Willy? you shout dat jess now? I tink I hear ye in ma 'leep.
Can you see it, Snowball?" "Gorramity, no!" replied the black, raising himself up in the water to get a better view. "Gone out o' de sight altogedder! We nebba see dat Catamaran any more, no, nebba!" The additional accent of despair with which these words were uttered was scarce perceptible.
"By de great gorramity!" muttered Snowball, "a doan't b'lieb one ob dem's leff 'board dat boat, 'ceptin de ole 'kipper himseff; an ob him dar am nuffin leff cep'n de body. Dat man's intlek am clar gone. He am ravin' mad!" "You're right, Snowy," assented the sailor; "there be ne'er a one there but himself. At all events they ain't all there. I can tell by the way the gig sits up out o' the water.
"What sort o' voice?" "Like a boy's voice, just like his." "Who you mean?" "The boy-sailor aboard the ship. O, listen! There it is again; and surely I hear another?" "Gorramity! little gal, you 'peak de troof. Sure 'nuff dere am a voice, two ob dat same. One am like de boy we 'peak 'bout, odder more like a man o' full groaf. I wonder who dey can be.
On the contrary, the curious incident that had just occurred was yet unexplained; and the awe with which it had inspired them still continued to hold all three in a sort of speechless control. Snowball himself was the first to break silence. "Good Gorramity!" he exclaimed, his teeth chattering like castanets, as the words passed between them. "Wha's all de rumpus 'bout? Wha you tink, Massa Ben?
See 'im forrard with axe, he knock off de gratin' ob de fore-hatch, he set all dem 'ere niggas free. It warn't no use, not bit good o' dem. Dey all got eat up by de shark, or dey go down straight to de bottom. Gorramity! how dey s'riek an' 'cream, an' jump overboard into de water!"
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