ollowed the universal laughter. "Well
then, my man," continued the captain, "you shall come on board with me.
I want a very clever active hand to help me."

_Felix._--"I hate the ship, and I won't go on board. She is a nasty
creature, and nearly drowned us all."

This impudence was too much for the captain, so he put him down with an
ejaculation, "Ech! but you're a fashious bairn;" and how long he might
have continued to roar we know not, but between his tears his eye
suddenly caught sight of the cow, who, either intoxicated by all the
fresh sweet grass she had eaten, or having risen in particularly good
spirits, was indulging in a series of antics, equally ludicrous and
unbecoming in such a sober creature. With the tears rolling down his
cheeks, he clapped his hands and shouted with glee. Smart took advantage
of the favourable moment, and said, in a commanding voice, "Sir, I'll
thank you to catch us some fish to-day; they are jumping in
buckets-full, and we shall want some supper agin we return."

This restored the smiles, and, with rod in hand, away he went in
happiest spirits; and ere we were ready to depart, such was the change
in the state of his feelings, that he privately confided to his brother,
he thought him a great muff to go toiling up the rocks instead of
stopping with him to catch the fish that were jumping about, almost
asking to be taken out.

The captain gave us many orders and directions, charged Smart and Benjie
with innumerable cautions, and finally dismissed us with hearty good
wishes and fervent hopes for our safe return. Madame was too much
agitated to speak, and could only wave her adieus. Jenny and Hargrave,
who were assisting in our preparations, each in their own way expressed
their feelings. The former declaring she would be glad of a quiet day to
get through a lot of washing, the latter grumbling that the young ladies
would spoil their clothes and get them torn, while both had indistinct
visions of snakes and dragons snapping us up, lions and tigers leaving
only our bones as sad memorials, savages or monsters running away with
us! Fortified by these ideas, we emerged from the tent, properly
equipped, and then had to take leave of the little girls. Their notions
all tended towards the pleasurable kind, and had we been in a civilized
place, spectators might have imagined we were starting for a good day's
shopping in London or elsewhere, provided they had interpreted the young
ladies' wishe