, and
various ports of the East. Then the distance saved to our vessels would
be much less. Roughly estimated,--in fact, guessed at,--I should say
that the distance from New York to Ceylon, near the southern cape of
India, is four-fifths of that around Cape Good Hope. The heavy dues for
passing through the canal are an item, and it would not pay to save two
thousand five hundred miles out of twelve thousand five hundred."

"But the saving from London to Bombay is forty-four per cent," added Mr.
Woolridge. "From Marseilles to the same port it is nearly sixty per
cent. The United States 'is not in it'"--

"_Are_ not in it, papa," interposed Miss Blanche with a silvery laugh.

"No, my dear; _is_ not in it," returned the magnate, with a loving
smile. "I know the government is said to have ruled for the plural, but
I don't accept the ruling. Why, what does _E pluribus Unum_ mean if not
the singular number? For what did we fight the War of the Rebellion if
not to prove that the United States _is_ one government, and _are_ not
forty-four of them at the present moment."

"But the grammar, papa?" asked Blanche.

"The grammar is all right, my child. What are the news, Blanche? The
company is or are, just as you pay your money and take your choice,"
said the father, chucking the fair maiden under the chin.

"Our friend is quite right, and, so far as the canal is concerned, the
United States _is_ not in it," added the commander, laughing at the turn
the conference had taken.

"How far have we gone so far, Captain?" asked Miss Blanche.

"Ten o'clock," he replied, consulting his watch. "We have been moving at
this snail's pace for five hours, and made twenty-five miles, or forty
kilometres. In five more we shall come to El Kantara, where the caravan
route from Egypt into Asia crosses the canal."

"Do the camels have to swim across the canal?" asked Mrs. Blossom.

"They do not; but it cost the canal company some money to save them the
trouble of doing so," replied the captain. "El Kantara means 'the
bridge;' and there used to be one across the outlet of a lake there. The
bridge was removed by the company, and a ferry substituted for it."

"I suppose all vessels have to go through the canal in the daytime,"
said Mrs. Woolridge.

"Not at all; the system of signals is arranged for day or night. Vessels
with an electric search-light or projector which will show up an object
three-quarters of a mile ahead are allowed to naviga