it pie, walnuts, and apples formed my
Christmas dinner, which was washed down by a bottle of Bass I had
reserved as a special Christmas treat. I drank the health of my absent
friends, and even gave three cheers for the King of Jethou--myself.

To make the season appear as Christmassy as possible I cudgelled my
brain for a whole week, and composed what I am pleased to call

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.[3]

In olden time a child was born
In Bethlehem the holy;
Mary was the mother's name,
Who lay in manger lowly

_Refrain_--Sing, happy Virgin, mother mild;
Sing, Joseph, father blessed;
Sing, angels, shepherds, men so wise,
For this thy Lord confessed.

And as she in the manger lay,
Beside the stalled cattle,
A throng of shepherds entered in
To hear the childish prattle.

The shepherds low obeisance made,
Before the manger kneeling,
As thro' the casement's open space
The star's bright ray came stealing.

The winged angel choir stood by,
Their carol sweet a-singing;
While men of wisdom from the East,
Drew near, their offerings bringing.

Then from the clouds was heard a voice,
This message earthward sending,
"Peace rest upon the earth so fair,
Good-will 'twixt men ne'er ending."

Although the lines seemed to go very well, I had great difficulty in
hitting upon a suitable tune; but when once I did fit the verses to a
composition of my own, I howled it from morning till night all over the
island. The very animals and birds must have been satiated with it.
Possibly they would gladly have exchanged Christmas for Easter, or some
other church festival, just for the sake of variety and change of tune.

One misty morning at the end of February, I was standing near the old
cannon, chopping firewood wherewith to heat my oven, for it was my
weekly baking day, when I saw a boat containing two men coming through
the Crevichon channel towards the house. One was pulling, and the other,
who sat in the stern sheets, waved a white flag or handkerchief upon a
stick, to attract my attention. I noticed them as soon as they did me,
and waved in return, making signs for them not to land.

With my chopping hook still in my hand I ran down the rocky path towards
them, and arrived at the water's edge just as they were about to run the
boat as