hink you said?"

[Illustration]

But the Captain put aside the suggestion with a wave of the hand.

"No, sir!" he said, in his grandest manner. "You will excuse Me, I am
sure; but these are My passengers. The accident has happened on board My
ship, and under My orders. It is for Me to make compensation." He
turned to the angry fishermen. "Come here, my men!" he said, in the
Mhruxian dialect. "Tell me the weight of each sack. I saw you weighing
them just now."

Then ensued a perfect Babel of noise, as the five natives explained, all
screaming together, how the sailors had carried off the weights, and
they had done what they could with whatever came handy.

Two iron belaying-pins, three blocks, six holystones, four
winch-handles, and a large hammer, were now carefully weighed, the
Captain superintending and noting the results. But the matter did not
seem to be settled, even then: an angry discussion followed, in which
the sailors and the five natives all joined: and at last the Captain
approached our tourists with a disconcerted look, which he tried to
conceal under a laugh.

"It's an absurd difficulty," he said. "Perhaps one of you gentlemen can
suggest something. It seems they weighed the sacks two at a time!"

"If they didn't have five separate weighings, of course you can't value
them separately," the youth hastily decided.

"Let's hear all about it," was the old man's more cautious remark.

"They _did_ have five separate weighings," the Captain said, "but--Well,
it beats _me_ entirely!" he added, in a sudden burst of candour. "Here's
the result. First and second sack weighed twelve pounds; second and
third, thirteen and a half; third and fourth, eleven and a half; fourth
and fifth, eight: and then they say they had only the large hammer left,
and it took _three_ sacks to weigh it down--that's the first, third and
fifth--and _they_ weighed sixteen pounds. There, gentlemen! Did you ever
hear anything like _that_?"

The old man muttered under his breath "If only my sister were here!" and
looked helplessly at his son. His son looked at the five natives. The
five natives looked at the Captain. The Captain looked at nobody: his
eyes were cast down, and he seemed to be saying softly to himself
"Contemplate one another, gentlemen, if such be your good pleasure. _I_
contemplate _Myself_!"

KNOT V.

OUGHTS AND CROSSES.

"Look here, upon this picture, and on this."

"And what made you choose the fir