to one of uncontrollable mirth. He became so uproarious that he was fain
to push the captain away from him, and lean back in his chair and choke
and laugh until he nearly lost his breath, at which crisis a remarkably
pretty girl appeared from the back of the house, and patted him with
hearty good will.

"That'll do, my dear," said the choking Mr. Rumbolt. "Here's Captain
Lewis."

"I can see him," said his daughter calmly. "What's he standing on one
leg for?"

The skipper, who really was standing in a somewhat constrained attitude,
coloured violently, and planted both feet firmly on the ground.

"Being as I was passing close in, Miss Rumbolt," said he, "and coming
ashore to see mother"--

To the captain's discomfort, manifestations of a further attack on the
part of Mr. Rumbolt appeared, but were promptly quelled by the daughter.

"Mother?" she repeated encouragingly,

"I thought I'd come on and ask you just to pay a sort o' flying visit
to the Thames." "Thank you, I'm comfortable enough where I am," said the
girl.

"I've got a couple of monkeys and a bear aboard, which I 'm taking to a
menagerie in Aberdeen," continued the captain, "and the thought struck
me you might possibly like to see 'em." "Well, I don't know," said the
damsel in a flutter. "Is it a big bear?"

"Have you ever seen an elephant?" inquired Hezekiah cautiously.

"Only in pictures," replied the girl.

"Well, it's as big as that, nearly," said he.

The temptation was irresistible, and Miss Rumbolt, telling her father
that she should not be long, disappeared into the house in search of
her hat and jacket, and ten minutes later the brawny rowers were gazing
their fill into her deep blue eyes as she sat in the stern of the boat,
and told Lewis to behave himself.

It was but a short pull out to the schooner, and Miss Rumbolt was soon
on the deck, lavishing endearments on the monkey, and energetically
prodding the bear with a handspike to make him growl. The noise of the
offended animal as he strove to get through the bars of his cage was
terrific, and the girl was in the full enjoyment of it, when she became
aware of a louder noise still, and, turning round, saw the seamen at the
windlass.

"Why, what are they doing?" she demanded, "getting up anchor?"

"Ahoy, there!" shouted Hezekiah sternly. "What are you doing with that
windlass?"

As he spoke, the anchor peeped over the edge of the bows, and one of the
seamen running past them took