ose!"

"You forget the seals and the penguins," said Mr Meldrum.

"Waal, mister," rejoined the American, "we've only seed one seal, as I
reckon. That was that air `Sea Olly-fant,' as the Norwegee called it,
and the animile's meat warn't 'zackly what this child ken stomach! As
for them penguins, I guess they're kinder fishy."

"My dear sir, we can't be squeamish," said the other. "Perhaps we'll be
only too glad to get anything we can presently! Besides the seals and
birds, however, there's something else I shall have to look after to-
morrow. It is what I should have thought of before, only we were so
busy about the house--some vegetable food to eat with our salt beef. We
must use some antiscorbutic; and we haven't a tin of our preserved stock
left, I think."

"And whar'll you find vegetables haar, mister?"

"Why, there's one specially distinctive of the island and I daresay
we'll not have to hunt far for it. From the accounts I've read it ought
to grow quite close to the seashore."

"And what's that, mister?" asked the American.

"Kerguelen cabbage," promptly answered Mr Meldrum.

"Snakes and alligators, mister! Do you expect to find sich kitchen
stuff haar?"

"I do," replied the other; "and intend to search for it to-morrow
morning, as soon as I turn out!"

"It was lucky we have poor puss, papa," said Florry just then. "We
would have had all our things eaten up by the mice only for her."

"Dear me!" ejaculated Mrs Major Negus, drawing her skirts closer to her
in alarm, "you don't say so? Mice! gracious goodness that I ever should
have come to such a place. Of all the things I hate, those nasty
creatures are the worst."

"Ah! ma'rm," put in Mr Lathrope, seeing his chance of revenge for the
lady's comments on his chimney; "if all Mister Meldrum kalkerlates comes
true about the shortness of our provisions, I guess you'll be glad to
eat 'em bye and bye! I've seed the Chinee immigrants gobble 'em up in
Californy often enough!"

"Disgusting!" ejaculated Mrs Major Negus, raising her nose in the air
with an expression of intense scorn. "I for one, sir, will never
descend to adopt Chinese fashions and live on rats and mice, whatever
you may have learnt to do in your travels."

"Pray, do not alarm yourself," interposed Mr Meldrum, laughing. "Can't
you see that Mr Lathrope is only joking! I do not dread our being
reduced to such a sad extremity as he pictures! Are you sure about the
mice, Florry?