its wool-gatherin' in delirimums, would ha' flummuxed him to a
haar, I guess. He wer so mad when we got him aboard thet he took me fur
his gran'mother, Lorry sunthin' or other--I'm durned if I ken kinder
rec'lect the name!"

"So he tells me," said Fritz, laughing at the idea of old Lorischen
being mistaken for the broad-shouldered, red-faced, whaling captain.
The old nurse, who was very particular about her personal appearance,
would have had a fit at the bare supposition, much less at such an
allusion to her age as would have supposed her ancient enough to be
Eric's grandmother!

"Never mind, mister," continued the skipper, giving Eric a hearty slap
on the back, which made the lad wince although he smiled at what the
worthy sailor intended for a little friendly attention. "He's all right
now, the b'y is--ain't you, my bully, hey?"

"Yes; all right, captain, all right, sir, thanks to you," replied Eric.

"Thet's your sort," said the skipper exultantly. "We've coddled him up
an' made a man of him ag'in, we hev, sirree. Jerusalem, mister, you
wouldn't know him ag'in for the skillagalee young shaver we h'isted
aboard! An', what is more, mister, look here, we've made a sailor of
the b'y since he's been along of us in the _Pilot's Bride_--none of your
lazy, good-for-nothin' idlers; but, a reg'ler downeaster cat block,
clear grit an' no mistake, a sailor every inch of him, yes, sir!"

"I should have thought he had seen enough of the sea, eh?" said Fritz,
turning to Eric with a smile.

"Thunder, mister!" exclaimed the Yankee skipper indignantly. "What d'ye
mean with your `'nough of the sea,' when he's only jest cut his eye-
teeth an' taken to larnin'? Why, mister, it would be a sin to let thet
b'y turn his hand to anythin' else, fur he's a born sailor to the very
backbone!"

"What say you, Eric?" said Fritz to his brother.

"Oh, I'm with the captain," replied he. "I always loved the sea, and
the wreck of the old _Gustav Barentz_ has not altered my thinking about
it just the same. I don't believe I could ever settle down to a shore
life now! I have learnt a lot of seamanship, too, with Captain Brown;
and he says, that if I will go with him on his next whaling voyage,
he'll make me third mate of the _Pilot's Bride_."

"Jest so, my young cock shaver," said that gentleman; "an' what old Job
Brown sez, why I guess he'll stick to! You rec'lect what I told you
'bout wages, hey? We whalin' men don't gen'rally giv