then began to droop down till it had formed itself into a
thick curtain which kept out the wind.

There was a very rustic table in the middle, formed by nailing two
pieces of plank on to a tree stump, and a couple of seats, one on each
side, pierced with holes that had once upon a time been made by ship
carpenters' augers, when the wood was built up over the ribs of some
stout ship which long years after was bumped to pieces by the waves upon
the rocks and then cast up upon the southern shore, to be bought up and
carted all through the county.

Yes, it was a very rustic place, but it suited its surroundings, and
Uncle Paul looked supremely happy as he sat there slowly smoking his
pipe and gazing dreamily before him at the beautiful landscape
stretching far, and the garden of the one cottage within reach only a
short distance away from the plot of ground where by the help of the
neighbour sufficient potatoes were grown for the widow's use. "What a
silent, peaceful evening, Pickle," said Uncle Paul. "Look yonder in the
east; the moon will be up soon, and then it will be night, and we have
done no work. How do you feel, my boy?"

"Tired and stupid, uncle. My legs ache right down to the ankles."

"No wonder, hopping about amongst those granite boulders. My back's a
bit stiff too. There, let's go into the parlour, light up, and then you
shall fetch down the microscope."

"Oh, not yet, uncle!--I say, have another pipe."

"A vaunt, you young tempter! Trying to lead me astray into idleness!
No, let's get in. We have been playing all day; now let's go and get a
bit of work done before we lie down to sleep."

"But I say, uncle, do you think that Napoleon will ever start another
war in France?"

"Who knows, boy? His goings-on have brought nearly everything to a
standstill, and there has been war enough to last for a hundred years."

"Yes, uncle; but do you think that Napoleon and the war put a stop to
your expedition that you were to make in a vessel of your own?"

"Of course I do, Pickle," said Uncle Paul, smoking very slowly now, with
his eyes shut, so as to make the little incandescent mass at the bottom
of his bowl last for a few minutes longer. "Government promised me and
my friends to make a grant for the fitting out of a small vessel, and
for the payment of a captain and crew, and it was voted that we should
have it; but do what we might, my friends and I could never get the
cash, and it has always bee