ocks. "Here goes. You must know as how
this old lady were going over the Atlantic for the fust time, being on a
voyage from Falmouth to Saint Kitts, in the West h'Indies; and she were
mighty curious, when she had rekivered from sea-sickness, about all the
strange sights o' the h'ocean, pestering the cap'en to death with
questions.

"One day she tackled the old man 'bout flying fish. `Bless me, Mr
Capting,' she says, `is it really true as how there be fishes as fly
hereabouts?'

"Now, it were just on to noon that day, and the old man was busy 'bout
taking a sight o' the sun, the same as you're so handy with, Mister
Leigh; so he says to the old lady, `I'm engaged, mum, at present, but if
you axes that man there at the wheel while I goes below, he'll tell you
all about it.'

"So, as soon as he dives down the companion to take the time of the
chronometer below, the old lady goes up to the helmsman--all bridling up
and curtseying down, the same as a ship in a heavy head sea.

"`Good-morning, Mr Sailor,' says she.

"`Mornin',' says the man at the wheel, who was a rough old shellback,
and didn't waste his words like Pat Doolan here.

"`Is it really true, Mr Sailor,' says the old lady, `as how there are
fishes in the sea in these latitoods, as can fly in the air, like birds?
The capting told me to ax you, or I wouldn't trouble you.'

"`Bless you, mum, no trouble at all,' answered the man. `In course
there be flying fish hereabouts; you'll see flocks of 'em presently.'

"`And are they very large, Mr Sailor?' says the old lady.

"`Large, mum?' repeats the helmsman, looking around as if in search of
something to liken the size of the fish to. `Why, I've seed em as big
round as--aye, as the stump of that there mizzen-mast there!'

"`My good gracious!' screams the old lady, `Why, they must be larger nor
crocodiles!'

"`Aye, all that,' says the man, as cool as you please. `The last voyage
I was on, my mate was in the foretop of the vessel I was in, looking out
to windward, when pop jumps one of 'em right down his throat!'

"`And the fish was as big as the mizzen-mast there?' says the old lady,
curious like, in her surprise at the chap's awful bender; although she
didn't misdoubt his telling her the truth, for she would ha' took in
anything!

"But he was too fly for her, was my joker!

"`You mustn't speak to the man at the wheel!' says he, gruffly; and so
he got out cleverly from answering any more questions on