in that line; and the Captain's style
of cooking showed plainly enough, as William said, that "the Captain had
not travelled round the world, and been an ancient mariner, for
nothing."

When the meal was over, and everything was cleared away, and the little
cabin was once more in ship-shape order, William proposed the Captain's
health,--tossing back his head, and drinking a great quantity of
imaginary wine from an imaginary glass. "Here's to the health of Captain
Hardy, ancient mariner, and other things too numerous to mention,--the
jolliest Jack Tar that ever reefed a sail, or walked on the windward
side of a quarter-deck! May Davy Jones be a long while waiting for him;
and when he does go into Davy's locker, may he go an Admiral!" And then
the children all together "Hip, hip, hurrahed" the Captain, until the
old man had nearly split himself with laughing at their childish
merriment.

* * * * *

"And now for the story," said the Captain, when the laugh was ended.
"What do you say to that?"

"The story,--yes, yes, the story," shouted all the children, merrier
than ever.

"Down here, or up on deck?"

"Down here, just where we are; it's such a splendid place!"

"Then down here it shall be," went on the Captain, right well pleased.
"Down here it shall be, my dears, if I can only pick up the yarn again
where I broke it off. Let me see"; and the old man put a finger to his
nose, as he always did when he was thoughtful.

"Aha!" cried he, at length, "I've got my bearings now, as neat as a
light-house in a fog. You know, my dears, when we left off last time, we
had gone so far along with the story that you could see the Dean and I
had got ourselves in soundings, as it were. We had seen the light-ship
off the harbor, and were steering for it, so to speak. We had, by
working very hard, and by persevering very much, and by using our wits
as best we could, gathered about us everything that was needed to insure
our present safety, and some things to make us comfortable. We had a hut
to shelter us, and clothes to keep us warm, and fire to cook our food.

"But the winter was now coming on very fast, and we knew well enough
what that was likely to be. The grass and moss and flowers were dead or
dying; the ice was forming on the little pools, and here and there upon
the sea; little spurts of snow were coming now and then; the winds were
getting to be more fierce and angry, and every d