In other chambers he beheld lovely little children, with the faces of
angels; or venerable grandsires; with their snowy hair floating over the
pillow, and then he drew the most beautiful pictures on the window pane,
to amuse them when they should wake. He crept slyly into the larders of
thrifty housewives, and, with a touch, made chickens and ducks hanging
there, quite stiff and tasteless; he skipped to the cistern, and
magically rendered the pump handle immovable; he ran about the streets
and played tricks with the bright gas lamps, and they went out, as
though a puff of wind had blown over them. And, last of all, he ran
against a stout Burgomaster, returning homeward from a merry supper, and
so pinched the end of his red bottle-nose, that it tingled again!

"I'll have you taken to prison, you scoundrel!" roared the Burgomaster;
but how was he to find Captain Jack? Only where a large fire was raging
did Captain Jack shrink away in haste; heat did not seem to agree with
him, for he looked strangely small and shrunken.

He was now weary of the city, and hastened lightly to the seaside. In
the harbor ships lay at anchor, ice-bound; and on one of these a young
sailor was keeping watch for thieves; but he saw not Captain Jack coming
softly on board, and peering over his shoulder to see what was written
on the paper he held in his hand. A lantern hung from the mast and shed
a feeble light on the tear-blistered page, where the pious mother
implored a blessing on her son. As he read, the young sailor also wept;
but Captain Jack had no taste for tears. He breathed on the letter, and
the sparkling drops that the reader let fall became beads of ice. The
sailor hastily turned, and for a moment fancied he beheld the brilliant
eyes of Captain Jack gazing upon him; but the next instant he saw only
two glittering icicles, which had formed on the ropes.

The sea gulls flew in circles round the vessel; late as it was, they
still hoped something might be thrown out. Captain Jack caught them by
the long feathers of their wings, and they tumbled on the deck, and
hopped stiffly about. "Creesh, creesh!" cried they; "it is that villain,
Captain Jack, who has served us thus! Ugh! how stiff we are!"

Crick, crack! sounded through the air. It was Captain Jack laughing at
them.

"How merry it is in winter!" he cried. "It is there my uncle, the Ice
King, holds his court in the palace at the North Pole. The great
icebergs come crashing to the