ip. As we halted before him he touched
his forehead with his forefinger, in the usual style of the forecastle
hand, and paused in his work to hear what we had to say to him.

"Good morning, Martin," began Master Edgar. "I have brought the captain
to see my boat. Will you show it him, please?"

"Well, you see, sir," remonstrated Martin, obviously embarrassed by my
presence, "'tain't hardly fair to ask me to hexhibit the boat until
she's finished. There ain't much of her yet, and what there is, is all
in the rough. It's a little job, sir," he continued, turning in an
explanatory way to me, "as I've undertook to do for this young gentleman
in my afternoon watch below; and, as I said, she's all in the rough at
present--what there is of her."

"Never mind that, Martin," said I, seeing a shade of disappointment
resting upon the child's features; "bring her up, and let us have a look
at her."

Thereupon, the man dived below into the forecastle, and presently
reappeared, bearing in his hand the skeleton of a miniature yacht, about
two and a half feet long, half planked down. My first sensation, when I
set eyes on the model, was surprise at the dainty, delicate character of
the workmanship exhibited in it, which was greatly increased when, upon
taking it into my hands and more closely inspecting it, I had an
opportunity of examining its lines. They were as nearly perfect as
anything I had ever seen; in short, it was evident that, when finished,
the model would be a faithful miniature reproduction of a crack racing
yacht of the most approved form.

"Why, Martin," said I, greatly pleased at this example of his skill,
"this is excellent. Where in the world did you learn to model lines
like these?"

"Well, sir," explained Martin, "you see, I was five years in the yard of
the Fifes at Fairlie, yacht buildin', before I shipped in the _Northern
Queen_; and before that again I was more than three years with Summers
and Payne, of Southampton; so I ought to know a little about the shape
of a yacht, didn't I, sir?"

"Assuredly you ought," said I; "and evidently you _do_, if one may judge
by this." And I replaced the model in his hand, fully determined to
regularly ship him if I could, now that I had seen what a handy, clever
fellow he promised to be. For I may here tell the reader, in strict
confidence, that there is nothing I more thoroughly enjoy than
boat-sailing, and very few things that I more highly appreciate than