City; the Bohemians who had found it an easy and
pleasant thing to flock upon the deck of the "_Waring_," one foggy
afternoon, and set sail on a summer cruise. The Commodore invited them
for his entertainment, and because he was a mighty good fellow and could
afford to. They went for a change of air and scene, in search of
adventure--and moreover they were sure of luxurious hospitality for at
least six months. Clitheroe joined the company, not only for the reason
that there seemed nothing else for him to do, but he was glad of the
opportunity of revisiting a quarter of the globe so very dear to him.
This voyage, he thought, might re-awaken his interest in life; at any
rate, he could lose nothing by taking it, and that settled the question
for him.

The singers, the dancers, the painters and poets made life very lively
in that summer sea; it was a case of sweet idleness with wine, women and
wits, and all the world before them where to choose. It must be
confessed that Clitheroe had enjoyed himself in the society of these old
comrades--you would recognize most of them were he to name them; but
tonight, or rather this early morning he had begun to moralize, as he
peered down the transom upon the half-shadowy forms of those feasters
who had fallen by the way. He was asking himself if it paid--this
high-pressure happiness that knew no respite save temporary
insensibility? He began to think that it did not, and with a shrug of
his shoulders and a faint sigh, he turned away. He was about to resume
his solitary watch, for he could not sleep on such a night, when his eye
was attracted by a flitting shadow weaving to and fro astern; it seemed
to be soaring upon the face of the waters; was it some broad-winged
sea-bird following in their wake? He watched it as it drew near, growing
larger and larger every moment. No! it was not a bird; but it was the
next thing to one.

Out of the darkness was evolved the slender hull of a canoe, the wide,
many ribbed sail, and the dusky forms of three naked islanders. They had
not yet taken note of him; with a sudden impulse, he stole up to the
transom, and standing over it so that the lights from the cabin-lamps
shone full upon him, he waved a signal to the savages, enjoining
silence, and bidding them approach with caution.

In a few moments they had wafted themselves noiselessly up under the
companion ladder, and there, with suppressed excitement, he was
recognized. Old friends these, pals