leaning over and gazing down at where the screw
was churning up the water, the mate explaining its fish-tail-like action
and enormous power in propelling the yacht.

"Have an eye upon him, Instow," said Sir John; "the heat is getting
intense, and it can't be good for him to go down into that engine-room."

"Just as if I ever had my eyes off him," replied the doctor. "You let
me be."

"But he seemed to be dripping with perspiration."

"Best thing for him. Open his pores, which have been shut up all his
life. Grand thing for him. He couldn't be going on better. I was
afraid that the heat would depress him, and lay him on his back: don't
you see that so long as he keeps active he will not feel it so much?"

"I am not a doctor," said Sir John simply. "I suppose you are right."

"Well, give me a fair chance, old fellow. You've had your turn with the
bow, and made an old man of him."

"Not I--his masters."

"Well, let me now try if I can't make a boy of the old man. Look at
him. Can you believe it?"

Jack walked by them, in his white duck suit and pith hat, just then,
with the mate.

"Find it too hot, father? Shall I fetch your white umbrella?"

"No, no, thank you, my boy; I'm going to sit under the awning and watch
the shipping. But--er--don't expose yourself to the heat too much; the
sun has great power."

"Yes, it is hot," said Jack quietly, "but I like it."

"Yes, Mr Jack, sir," said Edward, who had overheard his master's
remarks, "and so do I like it; but it's a sort of country where you feel
as if you would like to have a great deal of nothing to do, and lie
about on the sand like the niggers. I've just been watching 'em, and it
seems to me that they don't eat much, nor drink much. You see 'em
nibbling a few dates, or swallowing lumps of great green pumpkins."

"Melons, Ned," said Jack, correcting him.

"Melons, sir? Yes, I know they call 'em melons, but they're not a bit
better than an old pumpkin at home, or an old vegetable marrow gone to
seed. I know what a melon is, same as Mackay grows at home, red-fleshed
and green-fleshed, and netted. They're something like; but as for
these--have you tried one, sir?"

"No."

"Then you take my advice, sir. Just you don't try 'em, for they're
about the poorest, moshiest-poshiest things you ever tasted."

"But the people here seem to like them."

"Oh yes, they like 'em, sir. They seem as if they'd eat anything, and I
suppose that's why th