which, agreeably, I began
to do.

Thus occupied, I saw a sudden light break over the captain's face, as
sighting something on the waves.

"Fattest coot I've seen this year, by clam!" said he, seizing his gun
from the bottom of the scow and firing. He fired again, and then rowed
eagerly up to it. It was a little wandering wooden buoy bobbing
bird-like on the waters.

We did not look at him. Mrs. Kobbe and Miss Pray knitted; I scratched
the mast with painful diligence.

A breeze arose. The captain silently hoisted sail; at length he lit
his pipe again, and returned, in a measured degree, to life.

As we sailed thus at last with the wind into Millport it seemed that
the "Eliza Rodgers" and we were accosted as natural objects of marvel
and delight by the loafers on the wharf.

"What po-ort?" bawled a merry fellow, speaking to us through his hands.

"Why, don't ye see?" said a companion, pointing to Captain Pharo, who
was taking down sail, with the complete flower turned shoreward;
"they're Orientiles!"

A loud burst of laughter arose. Personal allusions equally
glove-fitting were made to Mrs. Kobbe, to Miss Pray, to me, and to the
"Eliza Rodgers."

"Say! come to have your pictures took?" bawled the first merry fellow,
as the height of sarcasm and quintessence of a joke.

"Look a' here, major," almost wept poor Captain Pharo, "how in thunder
'd they find that out?"

"Never mind," said I; "we're going up to the hotel, and we'll have a
better dinner than they ever dreamed of."

"Afore I'm took to the dagarrier's?"

"Yes, indeed."

"See here, wife!" said Captain Pharo, completely broken down--for we
were all suffering, as usual, from the generic emptiness and craving of
our natures for food--"major says 't we're goin' up to git baited,
afore I'm took to the dagarrier's."

"I wish 't you could have your picture took jest as you look now,
Captain Pharo Kobbe!" exclaimed his wife kindly and admiringly.

At the inn the most conspicuous object in the reception-room was a sink
of water, with basins for ablutions.

Captain Pharo waited, visibly holding the leash on his impatience, for
a "runner"--or travelling salesman--to complete his bath, when he
plunged in gleefully, face and hands. Mrs. Kobbe drew him away with
dismay. The paste that had endured the whole sea voyage he had now
ruthlessly washed from one side of his head, the locks on the other
side still standing out ebullient.

"'M sorry, wife," s