Samoa’s aspect, sleeping at the tiller, was almost appalling.  His large opal eyes were half open; and turned toward the light of the binnacle, gleamed between the lids like bars of flame.  And added to all, was his giant stature and savage lineaments.

It was in vain, that I remonstrated, begged, or threatened:  the occasional drowsiness of my fellow-voyagers proved incurable.  To no purpose, I reminded my Viking that sleeping in the night-watch in a craft like ours, was far different from similar heedlessness on board the Arcturion.  For there, our place upon the ocean was always known, and our distance from land; so that when by night the seamen were permitted to be drowsy, it was mostly, because the captain well knew that strict watchfulness could be dispensed with.

Though in all else, the Skyeman proved a most faithful ally, in this one thing he was either perversely obtuse, or infatuated.  Or, perhaps, finding himself once more in a double-decked craft, which rocked him as of yore, he was lulled into a deceitful security.

For Samoa, his drowsiness was the drowsiness of one beat on sleep, come dreams or death.  He seemed insensible to the peril we ran.  Often I sent the sleepy savage below, sad, steered myself till morning.  At last I made a point of slumbering much by day, the better to stand watch by night; though I made Samoa and Jarl regularly go through with their allotted four hours each.

It has been mentioned, that Annatoo took her turn at the helm; but it was only by day.  And in justice to the lady, I must affirm, that upon the whole she acquitted herself well.  For notwithstanding the syren face in the binnacle, which dimly allured her glances, Annatoo after all was tolerably heedful of her steering.  Indeed she took much pride therein; always ready for her turn; with marvelous exactitude calculating the approaching hour, as it came on in regular rotation.  Her time-piece was ours, the sun.  By night it must have been her guardian star; for frequently she gazed up at a particular section of the heavens, like one regarding the dial in a tower.

By some odd reasoning or other, she had cajoled herself into the notion, that whoever steered the brigantine, for that period was captain.  Wherefore, she gave herself mighty airs at the tiller; with extravagant gestures issuing unintelligible orders about trimming the sails, or pitching overboard something to see how fast we were going.  All this much diverted my Viking, who several times was delivered of a laugh; a loud and healthy one to boot:  a phenomenon worthy the chronicling.

And thus much for Annatoo, preliminary to what is further to be said.  Seeing the drowsiness of Jarl and Samoa, which so often kept me from my hammock at night, forcing me to repose by day, when I far preferred being broad awake, I decided to let Annatoo take her turn at the night watches; which several times she had solicited me to do; railing at the sleepiness of her spouse; though abstaining from all reflections upon Jarl, toward whom she had of late grown exceedingly friendly.