Chicken Little drew her chair closer.

"It was in '65--soon after I was mustered out of service at the close of
the war, I was offered the command of a freighter going round The Horn
to the Orient. I hated to leave my wife and little boy for a year's
voyage, especially after being away so long during the war, but it was
the only opening worth while I could find. I guess I had the
get-rich-quick idea, too, but never mind, that has nothing to do with
the story. We had a terrible voyage. Storms and bad luck of every kind.
The rigging was shrouded with ice for weeks--two men were frozen to
death on watch. I don't know that I blame the men as I look back. I had
been so hardened myself by the terrible discipline and sights of war, I
guess I didn't take much trouble to make my crew see the necessity of
some of our hardships. At any rate, they mutinied and would have killed
me while I slept, but for my cabin boy. He was only sixteen, but he
discovered the conspiracy and roused me. With the help of the other
officers and a few loyal sailors we stood them off. Hot work it was."
The Captain stopped an instant, musing.

The young people waited, expectant. Captain Clarke held up the cutlass
reverently. "Charlie used this to good purpose after he had fired his
last round of ammunition. I was wounded--had propped myself against the
rail and was aiming my last precious bits of lead at the ring-leader,
when some one jabbed a bayonet at me from the side. Charlie knocked it
up, cutting the dastard down with a second blow that was a marvel. Those
two strokes saved my life and saved the ship. Do you wonder this ugly
thing looks beautiful to me?"

"And the boy?" Katy asked softly.

"Commands a vessel of his own in the Pacific trade. I had a letter and a
Satsuma jar from him a few weeks ago. But we are neglecting the
_Chicken Little_! That will never do."

A crescent moon was visible in the sky as they came back to the place
where the boat was moored.

"I fear I detained you longer than I intended with my yarn," said the
Captain. "It will soon be dark and that moon is too young to be very
useful."

"Oh, it will give a good deal of light for two or three hours. I know
every inch of the road, and even if I didn't, the horses do," Ernest
replied.

"Will you boys take the oars together or one at a time? Chicken Little,
you girls may take turns in the bow and the rest of us will make a nice
tight fit here in the stern."

The boys prefe