o his stomach, and he collapsed.

At last however, Neptune appeared to take pity on the poor student. His
recovery--at least as regarded the sea-sickness--was sudden. He awoke,
on the morning after the opening of the case of books, quite restored.
He could hardly believe it. His head no longer swam; other parts of him
no longer heaved. The first intimation that Skipper Martin had of the
change was John Binning bursting into a hymn with the voice of a
stentor. He rose and donned his clothes.

"You've got your sea legs at last, sir," said Fred Martin, as Binning
came on deck and staggered towards him with a joyful salutation.

"Yes, and I've got my sea appetite, too, Mr Martin. Will breakfast be
ready soon?"

"Just goin' on the table, sir. I like to hear that question. It's
always a sure and good sign."

At that moment Pat Stiver appeared walking at an acute angle with the
deck, and bearing a dish of smoking turbot. He dived, as it were, into
the cabin without breaking the dish, and set it on the very small table,
on which tea, bread, butter, and a lump of beef were soon placed beside
it. To this sumptuous repast the skipper, the student, and the mate sat
down. After a very brief prayer for blessing by the skipper, they set
to work with a zest which perhaps few but seafaring men can fully
understand. The student, in particular, became irrepressible after the
first silent and ravenous attack.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "the sea! the sea! the open sea! If you are ill, go
to sea. If you are fagged, go to sea! If you are used up, seedy,
washed-out, miserable, go to sea! Another slice of that turbot, please.
Thanks."

"Mind your cup, sir," said the skipper, a few minutes after, in a
warning voice; "with a breeze like this it's apt to pitch into your lap.
She lays over a good deal because I've got a press of sail on her this
morning."

"More than usual?" asked Binning.

"Yes. You see I'm trying to beat a _coper_ that's close ahead of us
just now. The _Sunbeam_ is pretty swift on her heels, an' if the breeze
holds--ha! you've got it, sir?"

He certainly had got it, in his lap--where neither cup, saucer, nor tea
should be.

"You are right, skipper, and if your ready hands had not prevented it I
should have got the teapot and sugar-basin also. But no matter. As
I've had enough now, I'll go on deck and walk myself dry."

On deck a new subject of interest occupied the mind of the rapidly
reviving studen