heart, friend, these are the heaviest tidings I have heard these seven
long years--there must have been deadly odds when he lowered his
top-sails--smite my eyes! I had rather the Mufti had foundered at sea,
with myself and all my generation on board--well fare thy soul, flower of
the world! had honest Sam Crowe been within hail--but what signifies
palavering?" Here the tears of unaffected sorrow flowed plentifully down
the furrows of the seaman's cheeks;--then his grief giving way to his
indignation, "Hark ye, brother conjurer," said he, "you can spy foul
weather before it comes, d--n your eyes! why did not you give us warning
of this here squall? B--st my limbs! I'll make you give an account of
this here d--ned, horrid, confounded murder, d'ye see--mayhap you
yourself was concerned, d'ye see.--For my own part, brother, I put my
trust in God, and steer by the compass, and I value not your paw-wawing
and your conjuration of a rope's end, d'ye see."

The conjurer was by no means pleased, either with the matter or the
manner of this address. He therefore began to soothe the captain's
choler, by representing that he did not pretend to omniscience, which was
the attribute of God alone; that human art was fallible and imperfect;
and all that it could perform was to discover certain partial
circumstances of any particular object to which its inquiries were
directed. That being questioned by the other man concerning the cause of
his master's disappearing, he had exercised his skill upon the subject,
and found reason to believe that Sir Launcelot was assassinated; that he
should think himself happy in being the instrument of bringing the
murderers to justice, though he foresaw they would of themselves save him
that trouble; for they would quarrel about dividing the spoil, and one
would give information against the other.

The prospect of this satisfaction appeased the resentment, and, in some