y, father; but I find them very useful."

"Well," said I, "suppose we put off the story till breakfast time; and
I'll go and help Tom to get it ready."

"Be it so, Jacob. I suppose Tom must have his way, as I spoiled him
myself. I made him so fond of yarns, so I was a fool to be vexed.

"Oh, life is a river, and man is the boat
That over its surface is destined to float;
And joy is a cargo so easily stored,
That he is a fool who takes sorrow on board.

"Now I'll go on shore to master, and find out what's to be done next.
Give me my stick, boy, and I shall crawl over the planks a little safer.
A safe stool must have three legs, you know."

Old Tom then stumped away on shore. In about a quarter of an hour he
returned, bringing half-a-dozen red herrings.

"Here, Tom, grill these sodgers. Jacob, who is that tall old chap, with
such a devil of a cutwater, which I met just now with master? We are
bound for Sheerness this trip, and I'm to land him at Greenwich."

"What, the Dominie?" replied I, from old Tom's description.

"His name did begin with a D, but that wasn't it."

"Dobbs?"

"Yes, that's nearer; he's to be a passenger on board of us, going down
to see a friend who's very ill. Now, Tom, my hearty, bring out the
crockery, for I want a little inside lining."

We all sat down to our breakfast, and as soon as old Tom had finished,
his son called for the history of Sam Bowles.

"Well, now you shall have it. Sam Bowles was a shipmate of mine on
board of the Greenlandman; he was one of our best harpooners, and a
good, quiet, honest messmate as ever slung a hammock. He was spliced to
as pretty a piece of flesh as ever was seen, but she wasn't as good as
she was pretty. We were fitting out for another voyage, and his wife
had been living on board with him some weeks, for Sam was devilish
spoony on her, and couldn't bear her to be out of his sight. As we
'spected to sail in a few days, we were filling up our complement of
men, and fresh hands came on board every day.

"One morning, a fine tall fellow, with a tail as thick as a hawser, came
on board and offered himself; he was taken by the skipper, and went on
shore again to get his traps. While he was still on deck I went below,
and seeing Sam with his little wife on his knee playing with his
love-locks, I said that there was a famous stout and good-looking fellow
that we should have as a shipmate. Sam's wife, who, like all women, was
a little