floor, both holding their sides, and giving vent to peals of uproarious
laughter.

"O dear!" exclaimed Frank, "I shall never dare look that fellow in the
face again. 'Icebergs of India!' 'Burning sands of Patagonia!' How my
jaws ache!"

"I wonder what part of Europe he visited to find his lions and tigers?"
said Johnny. "And how do you suppose he escaped from the Indians when
they had him bound to the stake? We must ask him about that."

"How old is he?" inquired Frank.

"He says he is sixteen."

"Well, he is older than that, if he risked his life in battles with the
Algerians; for, if my memory serves me, Decatur settled our accounts
with those gentlemen in the year 1815. That would make our new friend
old enough to be a grandfather. He holds his age well, doesn't he?"

Then the two boys looked up at the rafters, and laughed louder than
ever.

"I remember of hearing old Captain Porter say," observed Johnny, as soon
as he could speak, "that the strongest and most active man that ever
lived could not whip a grizzly in a fair fight; and that the bravest
hunter would take to his heels if he found himself in close quarters
with one of those animals, and would not think he was guilty of
cowardice, either."

"And what I have seen with my own eyes confirms it," said Frank. "While
we were camped at the Old Bear's Hole, Dick Lewis got into a fight with
a grizzly, and, although it didn't last more than half a minute, he was
so badly cut up that his own mother wouldn't have recognized him. Dick
is a giant in strength, and as quick as a cat in his movements, and if
he can't whip a grizzly, I am sure that Arthur Vane can't."

"Humph!" said Johnny, "he never saw a grizzly. I never did either, and
there are plenty of them in this country. Arthur had better be careful
how he talks in Captain Porter's hearing. The rough old fellow will see
through him in an instant, and he may not be as careful of his feelings
as we have been."

Johnny, having by this time saddled his horse, he and Frank returned to
the house, where they found Archie deeply interested in one of Arthur's
stories. "That is high up, I should think," they heard the former say.

"Yes, higher than the tops of these trees," replied Arthur. "I was
relating some of the incidents of one of my voyages at sea," he
continued, addressing himself to Frank. "I was telling Archie how I used
to stand on the very top of the mast and look out for whales."

"Which mast?" aske