s the lugger's
head paid off a trifle, the motion became less violent, while her speed
increased.

"Aha!" shouted the captain, as he found them--"not seek yet? Vait till
ve have ze _dejeuner_, and zen ve sall see."

"Oh, we've been to sea before," said Vince rather contemptuously.

"And you like ze sea, _n'est-ce pas_--is it not so?"

"Oh yes; we like the sea," said Vince. "It is good," said the captain,
clapping him on the shoulder. "Zen you sall help me. You say no at ze
beginning, but bah! a boy--two boy like you brave _garcons_--vill not
cry to go home to ze muzzer. It is a fine sing to have a luggar of tree
mast like zis, and you sall bose make you fortune ven I have done."

He nodded and turned away, leaving the boys to stand looking at each
other aghast, and forgetting all about the state of the sea, till a big
wave came over the bows and made them seek for shelter.

They saw but little of the captain that day, except at meal-times, when
he was good-humoured and jocose with them in spite of the fact that the
weather did not mend in the least. Then the next day passed, and the
next, with the wind not so violent, but the sea continued rough, and the
constant misty rain kept them for the most part below. The crew were
civil enough, and chatted with them when they did not ask questions; but
failing to obtain any information from them as to their destination,
Vince agreed with Mike that one of them should ask the captain where
they were going to first. So that evening, when they were sailing
slowly in a north-easterly direction, after being driven here and there
by contrary winds, they waited their opportunity, and upon the captain
coming up to them Vince began at once with,--

"Where are we going to first, captain?"

"Eh? you vant to know?" he said. "Vell, you sall. In zere." The boys
looked sharply in the direction pointed out but could see nothing for
the misty rain which drifted slowly across the sea.

"Where's in there?" said Mike.

"You are not good sailore yet, _mon ami_, or you vould have study our
course. I vill tell you. You look over ze most left, and you vill see
ze land of ze fat, heavy Dutchmans."

"What, Holland?" cried Vince eagerly.

"Yais: you know ze name of ze river and ports?"

"Yes; Amsterdam, Rotterdam," began Vince. "Are we going to one of those
places?"

"Aha! ve sall see. You no ask questions. Some day, if you are good boy
and can be trust, you vill know every