and do some other things that
you wouldn't understand, madam, such as running a spar out to stern to
take sight by."

"I declare," said Mrs. Cliff, "that sort of sailing must have astonished
any ship that saw it. Did you meet any other vessels?"

"Oh yes," said Burke. "After daybreak we fell in with a good many sail
and some steamers, and most of them ran close and hailed us, but there
wasn't any answer to give them, except that we were returning to port
and didn't want no help; but some of the skippers of the smaller crafts
were so full of curiosity that they stuck to us, and when we arrived off
Ushant, which wasn't until nearly dark the next day, the _Duke of
Dorchester_ had a convoy of five sloops, two schooners, a brig, eight
pilot boats, and four tugs."

Although Mr. Burke had said that he was going to make very short work
with his story, it had already occupied a good deal of time, and he was
not half through with it; but Mrs. Cliff listened with the greatest
interest, and the rich sailor went on with his recital of adventures.

"Now, when I had finished scoring that forty-eighth parallel backward
and forward for a hundred miles, I took out my purse and I paid that
captain and all the crew what I promised to give them, and then we
steamed back to Brest, where I told him to drop anchor and make himself
comfortable.

"I stayed on board for a day and a night just to get my fill feeling I
was in command of a steamer, before I gave up a sea-faring life forever.
I threw up the rest of the week that I was entitled to and went ashore,
and my lark was over.

"I went to England and took passage for home, and I had a first-class
state-room, and laid in a lot of good clothes before I started. I don't
think I ever had greater comfort in my life than sittin' on deck,
smokin' a good cigar, and watchin' the able-bodied seamen at their work.

"I hope I'm not tiring you, madam, but I'm trying to cut things as short
as I can. It's often said that a sailor is all at sea when he is on
shore, but I was a country fellow before I was a sailor, and land doings
come naturally to me when I fix my mind on them.

"I'd made up my mind I was going to build my mother a house on Cape Cod,
but when I got home I thought it better to buy her one already built,
and that's what I did, and I stayed there with her a little while, but I
didn't like it. I'd had a notion of having another house near my
mother's, but I gave up that. There's too mu