ike a rush and of the nature of willow and bamboo combined,
and is used extensively in England in the manufacture of mats, chair
bottoms, etc. It was put up in bales and proved a most disagreeable
article to stow away in the hold.

The cargo being completed, anchor was weighed to the cheerful sound of
"homeward bound" and the George started on her voyage to Newcastle,
England. Owing to head winds the bark had to tack all the way to
Gibraltar. Sometimes close under a mountain and again far out in
the Mediterranean, she beat her way down the coast. The weather was
clear and beautiful and the crew did not have much to do outside of
cleaning her down, mending and making sails. All who could handle the
needle well were engaged in that occupation. They sat on the quarter
deck and sewed industriously while the boatswain chalked and cut the
lines for them. Good natured Captain Moore spent his watch on deck,
chatting away with them and listening to their yarns. He thoroughly
enjoyed their jokes and superstitions with winch many of their
quaint stories were intermingled. While doing so he usually smoked a
long clay pipe and being a very forgetful man the moment he laid it out
of his hands he never remembered where he had left it. He was also a
very short sighted man and the boys often had a quiet joke on him by
shifting the pipe from place to place while he was looking for it.
Once the boatswain, named Smith, who was as mischievous as a monkey,
thought he would play a good joke on the captain. Seeing him lay his
pipe on the lattice work aft of the wheel and run down into the cabin to
get his glasses, Smith jumped up and threw his pipe overboard and
sketched one in chalk in the same place. On mounting the deck the
captain took a long look at the stranger that had just hove in sight
over the starboard bow; then laid his glasses on the skylight and looked
around for his pipe. When he saw the sketch he reached forth his
hand to pick it up. Being convinced by the suppressed murmur of
merriment he heard among the sail-sewers that they knew of the joke, he
quickly disappeared down the hatchway. The sailors drove sail needles
into each other in their hilarity. As he captain made no remark, the
incident was forgotten.

The following Sunday morning the captain called Paul down and told him
to order all hands on deck and get the chain hooks. This order surprised
Paul as it was very unusual for