she made good weather
immediately after passing it. It was only a few hours' sail to
Tasmania across the strait, the wind being fair and blowing hard. I
carried the St. Kilda shark along, stuffed with hay, and disposed of
it to Professor Porter, the curator of the Victoria Museum of
Launceston, which is at the head of the Tamar. For many a long day to
come may be seen there the shark of St. Kilda. Alas! the good but
mistaken people of St. Kilda, when the illustrated journals with
pictures of my shark reached their news-stands, flew into a passion,
and swept all papers containing mention of fish into the fire; for St.
Kilda was a watering-place--and the idea of a shark _there_! But my
show went on.

[Illustration: On board at St. Kilda. Retracing on the chart the
course of the _Spray_ from Boston.]

The _Spray_ was berthed on the beach at a small jetty at Launceston
while the tide driven in by the gale that brought her up the river was
unusually high; and she lay there hard and fast, with not enough water
around her at any time after to wet one's feet till she was ready to
sail; then, to float her, the ground was dug from under her keel.

In this snug place I left her in charge of three children, while I
made journeys among the hills and rested my bones, for the coming
voyage, on the moss-covered rocks at the gorge hard by, and among the
ferns I found wherever I went. My vessel was well taken care of. I
never returned without finding that the decks had been washed and that
one of the children, my nearest neighbor's little girl from across the
road, was at the gangway attending to visitors, while the others, a
brother and sister, sold marine curios such as were in the cargo, on
"ship's account." They were a bright, cheerful crew, and people came a
long way to hear them tell the story of the voyage, and of the
monsters of the deep "the captain had slain." I had only to keep
myself away to be a hero of the first water; and it suited me very
well to do so and to rusticate in the forests and among the streams.

CHAPTER XIV

A testimonial from a lady--Cruising round Tasmania--The skipper
delivers his first lecture on the voyage--Abundant provisions-An
inspection of the _Spray_ for safety at Devonport--Again at
Sydney--Northward bound for Torres Strait--An amateur
shipwreck--Friends on the Australian coast--Perils of a coral sea.

February 1,1897, on returning to my vessel I found waiting for me the
letter of sy