orrid. Oh, how ill I have been. I wouldn't
ha' cared if mother had been here. She would ha' been sorry for me;
'stead o' everybody laughing, as if it was good fun."

"Well, you can laugh at them."

"Yes, and I just will too. Oh, hark at that. Here, hold tight, sir!
we're going."

For a tremendous wave struck the ship, making it quiver as tons of water
washed over her, seeming to beat her down; but she rose as if shaking
herself, and then made a pitch.

"I say," cried Esau, "I didn't know ships went like fishes sometimes."

"What do you mean?" I said, as I listened to the rush and roar, and
noticed that it seemed to be getting dark.

"Why, swim right under water. Shall we ever come up again. Hah! that's
better," for the light streamed in again through the thick round glass
at the side by our heads. "I've had about enough of this, sir. What do
you say to getting out at the next pier and walking back?"

"Oh, Esau," I cried, "don't be such a Cockney. What pier? This is not
a river steamer."

"I only wish it was. But I say, I can't eat, and I can't sleep, and I'm
sore outside and in. Let's go back and follow mother and them two in a
waggon."

"But don't you know that we should have a rough voyage across first?"

"Couldn't be so rough as this. Oh, there it goes again. I know we're
going to dive down right to the bottom. Wish we could, and then we
might get out and walk. Here, let's go on deck."

"We can't," I said.

"No," said the one-eyed man, a big, broad, Saxon-looking fellow, "we're
battened down."

"Oh, are we?" said Esau.

"Yes; you can't go up till this weather's better. Want to be washed
overboard?"

"I should like to be washed somewhere," said Esau, "for I feel very
dirty and miserable."

"Sit down and wait patiently, my lad," said the man; "and don't you come
butting that curly head of yours into me again, like an old Southdown
ram coming at a man. I don't want my ribs broke."

"Have you been at sea before?" I said to him, as he sat back smoking a
short pipe.

"Often. Been to 'Stralia, and New Zealand, and the Cape."

"Was it ever as rough as this?"

"Worse," he said, laconically.

"But not so dangerous?" said Esau, in a questioning tone.

"Worse," said the man gruffly.

"But we keep seeming as if we should go to the bottom," said Esau,
fretfully.

"Well, if we do, we do, boy. We're in for it, so what's the good o'
making a fuss?"

"I don't see no good in bei