--------------------

"What may the dish of kangaroos be composed of?" inquired Mustapha, in
obedience to the pacha.

"'Posed of! why a dish of kangaroos be made of kangaroos, to be sure."

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But I'll be dished if I talked about any thing but the animal, which we
had some trouble to kill; for it stands on its big tail, and fights with
all four feet. Moreover, it be otherwise a strange beast; for its young
ones pop out of its stomach, and then pop in again, having a place there
on purpose, just like the great hole in the bow of a timber ship; and as
for the other little animal, it swims in the ponds, lays eggs, and has a
duck's bill, yet still it be covered all over with hair like a beast.

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The vizier interrupted. "By the Prophet, but he laughs at our beards!"
exclaimed the pacha, angrily. "These are foolish lies."

"You must not tell the pacha such foolish lies. He will be angry," said
Mustapha. "Tell lies, but they must be good lies."

"Well, I'll be damned," replied the sailor, "if the old beggar don't
doubt the only part which is true out of the whole yarn. Well, I will
try another good un to please him."

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After I had been there about six months I was tired; and as there was
only twenty thousand miles between that country and my own, I determined
to swim back.

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"Mashallah! swim back--how many thousand miles?" exclaimed Mustapha.

"Only twenty thousand--a mere nothing."

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So one fine morning I throws a young kangaroo on my shoulder, and off I
starts. I swam for three months, night and day, and then feeling a
little tired, I laid-to on my back, and then I set off again; but by
this time I was so covered with barnacles, that I made but little way.
So I stopped at Ascension, scraped and cleaned myself, and then, after
feeding for a week on turtle, just to keep the scurvy out of my bones, I
set off again; and as I passed the Gut, I thought I might just as well
put in here; and here I arrived, sure enough, yesterday about three
bells in the morning watch, after a voyage of five months and three
days.

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