e line, at Islan' Thutty-eight, whah the current's so
full o' biles an' swells an' snags an' sawyehs 'at they calls it the
Devil's Elbow! Now, nobody ain't neveh sho' 'nough see' the devil's
identical elbow--in this life. No, suh, you'd ought to know that ef
anybody. Oh, no, Devil's Elbow, Presi-_dent's_ Islan', Paddy's Hen an'
Chickens, Devil's Race-groun', Devil's Bake-ov'm, they jess sahcaystic
names." He turned to Watson's cub, who with Basile had joined the trio,
and was watching to get in a word. "You know that."

The boy assented. "But did you see," he asked Ramsey, "the swarms of
birds down around Island Eighty-eight?"

"No!" interposed the exhorter, "she wah still atemptin' Provi-_dence_ in
like manneh as afo'said!"

Basile flashed resentment. "To put it politely," he retorted. But the
actor and Ramsey laughed.

"Oh, John the Babtis' wouldn't 'a' putt it no politer. I see' the birds.
We 'uz a meetin' the _Southe'n Cross_----"

"Anoth'--!" Ramsey began to wail.

"Anotheh o' Gid Hayle's boats, yass, an' mighty nigh his bes'. Round'n'
the foot o' the islan' our whistle bellered howdy to her an' we riz one
solid squah mile o' wings; an' when she bellered back, a-round'n' its
head, she riz anotheh. Yit them birds wa'n't a pinch naw a patchin' to
what I hev see' thah; millions an' millions an' millions _uv_ millions
o' swan, pelikin, san'-hill crane, geese----"

"Birds of paradise?" asked Brick-top.

"They 'uz all birds o' paradise! the whole kit an' bilin'! by reason 'at
this _wah_ a paradise them days, this-yeh whole 'Azoo Delta, which you,
suh"--the speaker turned to Gilmore with reviving spleen. By opposite
stairs, larboard and starboard, the twins, each carrying a sword-cane,
as Hugh saw by the double gold band around it a finger-length from the
top, had just reached the roof, and the emboldened orator began to make
it plain that despite his "bodacious" criticism of their sister,
overheard by Julian, he had at least half righted himself with both
brothers and was on their side in whatever was now afoot.

"Which you, suh," he repeated, "hev tuck on yoseff to drap hints 'at it
ain't a civilize' country!--by reason 'at it ain't cityfied! Like Paris,
I s'pose, my Gawd!--with thah high-heel' shoes an' low-neck' dresses!"

His voice rose as the twins, Mrs. Gilmore, and Hugh came close. "Aw
Babylon with thah jeweldry!--rings on thah fingehs an' bells on thah
toes! Aw Sodom an' Gomorrah!--with thah staht-neck