hnson? He goed away nobody know whar'."

"And little Nelly Drew, what of her?"

A sudden silence fell on the group, and solemn eyes were turned on
sister Kathy, who was evidently expected to answer.

"Not dead?" said the captain earnestly.

"No, but very _very_ ill," replied the girl.

"Dear Nelly have never git over the loss of her brother, who--"

At this point they were interrupted by another group of the captain's
little admirers, who, having heard of his arrival, ran forward to give
him a noisy welcome. Before stories could be commenced, however, the
visitors were summoned to Mr. Ross's house to dinner, and then the
captain had got into such an eager talk with the king that evening was
upon them before they knew where they were, as Nigel expressed it, and
the stories had to be postponed until the following day.

Of course beds were offered, and accepted by Captain Roy and Nigel. Just
before retiring to them, father and son went out to have a stroll on the
margin of the lagoon.

"Ain't it a nice place, Nigel?" asked the former, whose kindly spirit
had been stirred up to quite a jovial pitch by the gushing welcome he
had received alike from old and young.

"It's charming, father. Quite different from what you had led me to
expect."

"My boy," returned the captain, with that solemn deliberation which he
was wont to assume when about to deliver a palpable truism. "W'en you've
come to live as long as me you'll find that everything turns out
different from what people have bin led to expect. Leastways that's _my_
experience."

"Well, in the meantime, till I have come to your time of life, I'll take
your word for that, and I do hope you intend to stay a long time here."

"No, my son, I don't. Why do ye ask?"

"Because I like the place and the people so much that I would like to
study it and them, and to sketch the scenery."

"Business before pleasure, my lad," said the captain with a grave shake
of the head. "You know we've bin blown out of our course, and have no
business here at all. I'll only wait till the carpenter completes his
repairs, and then be off for Batavia. Duty first; everything else
afterwards."

"But you being owner as well as commander, there is no one to insist on
duty being done," objected Nigel.

"Pardon me," returned the captain, "there is a certain owner named
Captain David Roy, a very stern disciplinarian, who insists on the
commander o' this here brig performin' his duty to the