e waves, that was as bright as
silver and as clear as cryshtal.

"But it was only the more crule upon uz, for we wor beginnin' to feel
terrible hungry; when all at wanst I thought I spied the land--by gor, I
thought I felt my heart up in my throat in a minnit, and 'Thundher and
turf, captain,' says I, 'look to leeward,' says I.

"'What for?' says he.

"'I think I see the land,' says I. So he ups with his
bring-'um-near--(that's what the sailors call a spy-glass, sir), and looks
out, and, sure enough, it was.

"'Hurrah!' says he, 'we're all right now; pull away, my boys,' says he.

"'Take care you're not mistaken,' says I; 'maybe it's only a fog-bank,
captain, darlint,' says I.

"'Oh, no,' says he, 'it's the land in airnest.'

"'Oh, then, whereabouts in the wide world are we, captain?' says I; 'maybe
it id be in Roosia or Proosia, or the Garman Oceant,' says I.

"'Tut, you fool,' says he--for he had that consaited way wid him--thinkin'
himself cleverer nor any one else--'tut, you fool,' says he; 'that's
France,' says he.

"'Tare an ouns,' says I, 'do you tell me so? And how do you know it's
France it is, captain, dear,' says I.

"'Bekase this is the Bay o' Bishky we're in now,' says he.

"'Throth, I was thinkin' so myself,' says I, 'by the rowl it has; for I
often heerd av it in regard o' that same;' and, throth, the likes av it I
never seen before nor since, and, with the help o' God, never will.

"Well, with that my heart begun to grow light, and when I seen my life was
safe, I began to grow twice hungrier nor ever--so says I, 'Captain, jewel,
I wish we had a gridiron.'

"'Why, then,' says he, 'thundher and turf,' says he, 'what put a gridiron
into your head?'

"'Bekase I'm starvin' with the hunger,' says I.

"'And sure, bad luck to you,' says he, 'you couldn't ate a gridiron,' says
he, 'barrin' you wor a pelican o' the wildherness,' says he.

"'Ate a gridiron!' says I. 'Och, in throth, I'm not such a gommoch all out
as that, anyhow. But sure if we had a gridiron we could dress a
beefsteak,' says I.

"'Arrah! but where's the beefsteak?' says he.

"'Sure, couldn't we cut a slice aff the pork?' says I.

"'By gor, I never thought o' that,' says the captain. 'You're a clever
fellow, Paddy,' says he, laughin'.

"'Oh, there's many a thrue word said in joke,' says I.

"'Thrue for you, Paddy,' says he.

"'Well, then,' says I, 'if you put me ashore there beyant' (for we were
nearin' the land all the