o could do that might get on under any
constitution; he didn't intend to say a great deal in parliament, but
what he did say he hoped might be recorded for the use of his children;
together with a great deal more of the same sort of argumentation and
apology.

The third schooner now brought us to. This vessel sent another
committee, who announced themselves to be the representatives of a party
that was termed the Tangents. They were not numerous, but sufficiently
so to hold the balance whenever the Horizontals and the Perpendiculars
crossed each other directly at right angles, as was the case at present;
and they had now determined to run a single candidate of their own.
They, too, wished to fortify themselves by the foreign interest, as was
natural, and had come out in quest of a proper person. I suggested the
first mate; but against this Noah protested, declaring that come what
would, the ship must on no account be deserted. Time pressed; and, while
the captain and the subordinate were hotly disputing the propriety of
permitting the latter to serve, Bob, who had already tasted the sweets
of political importance, in his assumed character of prince-royal,
stepped slyly up to the committee, and gave in his name. Noah was too
much occupied to discover this well-managed movement; and by the time he
had sworn to throw the mate overboard if he did not instantly relinquish
all ambitious projects of this nature, he found that the Tangents were
off. Supposing they had gone to some other vessel, the captain allowed
himself to be soothed, and all went on smoothly again.

From this time until we anchored in the bay of Bivouac, the tranquillity
and discipline of the Walrus were undisturbed. I improved the occasion
to study the constitution of Leaplow, of which the judge had a copy,
and to glean such information from my companions as I believed might
be useful in my future career. I thought how pleasant it would be for a
foreigner to teach the Leaplowers their own laws, and to explain to them
the application of their own principles! Little, however, was to be
got from the judge, who was just then too much occupied with some
calculations concerning the chances of the little wheel, with which he
had been furnished by a leading man of one of the nominating committees.

I now questioned the brigadier touching that peculiar usage of his
country which rendered Leaphigh opinions concerning the Leaplow
institutions, society, and manners o