wool over the eyes of Captain Benny Willitts. And what, if I may
be so bold as for to ask you, was the reason for their attacking
so harmless a man as you proclaim yourself to be?"

"That I know not," cried Jonathan; "but I am entirely willing to
tell thee all the circumstances. Thou must know that I am a
member of the Society of Friends. This day I landed here in
Kingston, and met a young woman of very comely appearance, who
intrusted me with this little ivory ball, which she requested me
to keep for her a few days. The sight of this ball--in which I
can detect nothing that could be likely to arouse any feelings of
violence--appears to have driven these two men entirely mad, so
that they instantly made the most ferocious and murderous assault
upon me. See! wouldst thou have believed that so small a thing as
this would have caused so much trouble?" And as he spoke he held
up to the gaze of the other the cause of the double tragedy that
had befallen. But no sooner had Captain Willitts's eyes lighted
upon the ball than the most singular change passed over his
countenance. The color appeared to grow dull and yellow in his
ruddy cheeks, his fat lips dropped apart, and his eyes stared
with a fixed and glassy glare. He arose to his feet and, still
with the expression of astonishment and wonder upon his face,
gazed first at our hero and then at the ivory ball in his hands,
as though he were deprived both of reason and of speech. At last,
as our hero slipped the trifle back in his pocket again, the
mariner slowly recovered himself, though with a prodigious
effort, and drew a deep and profound breath as to the very bottom
of his lungs. He wiped, with the corner of his black silk cravat,
his brow, upon which the sweat appeared to have gathered. "Well,
messmate," says he, at last, with a sudden change of voice, "you