Page:Life on the Mississippi (IA lifeonmississipptwai).pdf/64

 58 part of that bar'l to prove the thing by. Show us the bunghole—do—and we 'll all believe you."

"Say, boys," says Bill, "less divide it up. Thar's thirteen of us. I can swaller a thirteenth of the yarn, if you can worry down the rest."

Ed got up mad and said they could all go to some place which he ripped ont pretty savage, and then walked off aft cussing to himself, and they yelling

"WHO ARE YOU?"

and jeering at him, and roaring and laughing so you could hear them a mile.

"Boys, we'll split a watermelon on that," says the Child of Calamity; and he come rummaging around in the dark amongst the shingle bundles where I was, and put his hand on me. I was warm and soft and naked; so he says "Ouch!" and jumped back.

"Fetch a lantern or a chunk of fire here, boys—there 's a snake here as big as a cow!"

So they run there with a lantern and crowded up and looked in on me.

"Come out of that, you beggar!" says one.

"Who are you?" says another.

"What are yon after here? Speak up prompt, or overboard you go."