ellful of
water, into which the wooden kernel was now dipped ten or twelve times a
day.

'Well, I had been at this game, I should say, getting on for twenty
years, and now resolved to have done with it, after risking all on one
throw. So I dropped my wooden kernel, all rotted and weather-beaten as
it was, into what little there remained over of the pure liquor, this
time without diluting it at all, and then let it stew all day in the
sun.

'In the evening the liquor was all evaporated, and the wooden bean
seemed to the taste as though it possibly might have been in the
vicinity of a real one some time before. On that evening, for the last
time, I baited my hook and slept soundly at the foot of the pole.

'I was awakened next morning by the wind that had arisen during the
night, and a great wrenching noise, as it tore my poor old angling-pole
from its place in the sand, and carried it out to sea.

'"That settles it once and for all," thought I, much relieved, "and I'm
off home," and I set about getting my things together. While I was thus
engaged, it occurred to me that the old pole might be useful for fires,
so I swam out for it. Already it had been blown some way out to sea,
and, as the tide was against me, it was only with a very great exertion
of strength that I gained at all upon it, and I was just about to give
it up when I beheld, fastened to the bent pin at the end of the pole,
the wretched crane. The sight lent me greater strength, and, after
incredible exertions, I reached the pole almost exhausted. We were now
too far from the shore to attempt to return, so I got astride the pole,
and immediately proceeded to unfasten the unhappy fowl from my bent pin.
At first I thought the poor thing dead, but I nursed it in my arms all
through the ensuing night, and, on the following morning, happening to
glance down its half-opened beak, I could just see that my wooden
imitation of the kernel of the Peruvian yap bean had become lodged in
its throat. This I at once removed, and, to my great joy, the dejected
fowl almost immediately opened its eyes. Soon it became its old stately
self again, though now I could see that the poor thing had aged very
considerably since it left home.

'Well, to cut a long story short, at length the gale ceased, and we
landed safely on the shore, much nearer to our home, and, after many
vicissitudes and adventures, of which I shall have great pleasure in
telling you at another time, we even