ughed Perth. "There is fun in the thing. If the old
fossil was a decent fellow, of course we wouldn't disturb him. Just as
soon as he made a row on board, all the fellows took the captain's part.
Morgan dropped him into the river, by drawing out the nail that held the
boat-hook in the wood; Blount dropped a coil of signal halyards on his
head; and McDougal ducked him with the hose-pipe; and the old fellow got
a bogus letter from Antwerp, inviting him to visit some of those kings,
or something of that sort."

"Who sent the letter?" asked Wilton, greatly interested, as he always
was, in anything of this kind.

"Nobody knows; at least McDougal says so. When we were at Brussels, the
old Greek went to see some big fellow there,--the king or some
minister,--and the big bug wouldn't look at him. One of our fellows
heard Stoute telling the doctor about it; and Fatty was so tickled that
he shook just like a freshly-baked cup-custard. There goes the
boatswain's whistle. We are off now," added Perth, as he sprang to his
place at the capstan.

The anchor had before been hove short, and in a few moments the Young
America, also in the warm embrace of a powerful steam-tug, moved down
the river.

"All hands in the rigging!" shouted the first lieutenant, as the ship
approached the Victoria and Albert.

The students ran up the shrouds like monkeys, and stationed themselves
in the rigging.

"Three cheers for the Queen of England," called Goodwin; and they were
given with becoming zeal.

A lady dressed in black, who was walking the promenade deck, near the
dining saloon, bowed and waved her handkerchief. That lady was Queen
Victoria. The Josephine at this moment came up on the other side, and
delivered her round of cheers. Mr. Fluxion carried the intelligence on
board that the queen had returned, and that the yacht would sail that
evening; and all hands were on the lookout for her majesty. She bowed
and waved her handkerchief to the Josephines, as she had to the students
in the ship.

She was not very distinctly seen by the curious students in either
vessel, and appeared like a stout "dumpy" little woman, in no respect
different from any other lady. In spite of this fact, it was voted to be
a big thing to have seen the Queen of England; and the king of the
little realm of Belgium sank into insignificance, compared with her.

"She don't look like a queen," said Captain Haven to Mr. Mapps, who
stood next to him.

"Did you expec