g-room. The fresh wind which had blown all day had not permitted
him to pay much attention to the dietary department, which is always an
important one in a boat; and, not being over sentimental, he was
positively hungry. Even the half of his sheet of gingerbread and his
"hunk of cheese" remained untouched.

Little Bobtail was an ingenious youth, and when he anchored the old boat
he had taken a line from her stern to the yacht, so that he could haul
the former alongside the latter at his pleasure. By this means he was
enabled to recover his provision box and jug of cold water without any
difficulty. He devoured the balance of what had been intended only for
his dinner, which, expanded into both dinner and supper, did not half
cover the needs of the occasion. He was still hungry, but he had
recovered his breath, and was in condition to make another effort, if
another were required of him.

We confess that we have written very coolly and composedly of the event
in Little Bobtail's experience which had just transpired, hardly
attempting to describe his wonder and exhilaration; but it is not to be
supposed that he was unmoved by the discovery and recovery of the
abandoned yacht. He was so tremendously excited, that he had worked all
the breath out of his body, and had hardly an opportunity to consider
the nature and extent of his achievement till he had regained his wind,
and partially filled the vacuum in his stomach, which prudent Nature
abhors.

We said he was ready for another effort; but before he put forth his
strength again, he indulged in a series of speculations in regard to the
immediate history of the yacht he had picked up under such singular
circumstances. He had not been into the cabin yet to obtain whatever
evidence might be available in solving the problem; he had not yet had
time to do so. But people speculate and construct theories even before
there are any premises on which to base them.

The yacht was fine enough to be a pleasure craft, and he leaped at once
to the conclusion that some gay party had landed on an island to have a
good time, and, having run the yacht aground, the fresh breeze had blown
her off as the tide rose. Entirely satisfied with this solution, the
history of the fair craft seemed to be no longer a mystery to him. In
the morning he would run her over to Camden and anchor there. The owner
would soon appear; and, as he was fairly entitled to salvage, he thought
he could reasonably ho