prevailed immediately above the sea, the
kites descended in an alarming manner, swaying to and fro with
occasional wild swoops, which rendered it necessary to haul in on the
lines and reel up with the utmost speed.

Captain Vane was very successful in this rather difficult operation.
While he hauled in the line Benjy reeled it up with exemplary speed, and
the kite was finally made to descend on the boat like a cloud. When
secured the locking-cross was removed, the distending-rods were folded
inwards, the restraining, or what we may term the waist-band was
applied, and the whole affair was changed into a gigantic Mrs Gamp
umbrella. Being placed in the bow of the boat, projecting over the
water, it formed a not ungraceful though peculiar bowsprit, and was well
out of the way.

Leo and Butterface were equally successful, but poor Alf was not so
fortunate. The too eager pursuit of knowledge was the cause of Alf's
failure as has often been the case with others! He took on himself, as
chief of his boat, the difficult and responsible task of hauling in the
line,--which involved also the occasional and judicious manipulation of
the regulating cord, when a sudden puff of wind should tend to send the
kite soaring upwards with six or eight horse-power into the sky. To
Ivitchuk was assigned the easy task of gathering in the "slack" and
holding on to Alf if a sudden jerk should threaten to pull him
overboard. Anders reeled up.

Just as the kite was passing out of the windy region above into the calm
region below Alf beheld floating near the boat a beautiful, and to him
entirely new, species of marine creature of the jelly-fish kind. With a
wild desire to possess it he leaned over the boat's edge to the
uttermost and stretched out his left hand, while with his right he held
on to the kite! Need we say that the kite assisted him?--assisted him
overboard altogether, and sent him with a heavy plunge into the sea!

Ivitchuk dropped his line and stretched out both arms towards the spot
where the "Kablunet" had gone down. Akeetolik roared. Anders howled,
and dropped his reel. Left to itself, the kite, with characteristic
indecision, made an awful swoop towards the North Pole with its right
shoulder. Changing its mind, it then made a stupendous rush with its
left to the south-east. Losing presence of mind it suddenly tossed up
its tail, and, coming down head foremost, went with fatal facility into
the deep sea.

When Alf