aid the captain. But the captain, smelling the
smoke from the kitchen, was not the forlorn companion of our
treacherous voyage. "I reckon she'll stan' out ag'in, mebbe," said he,
"soon 's she 's dry." But he winked at me with daring inconsequence.

In vain Mrs. Kobbe tried to flay out those locks to their former
attitude with the hotel brush and comb, which the runner had finally
abandoned.

"Poo! poo! woman, never mind," said the captain; "one side 's fa'r to
wind'ard, anyhow. I can have a profiler took, jest showin' one side on
me, ye know."

"I didn't want a profiler," lamented Mrs. Kobbe; "I wanted a
full-facer."

"Wal, wal, woman, I hain't washed my face off, have I?" said the
captain cheerfully, resurrecting his pipe. "Put up them thar' public
belayin' pins," he added, referring to the hotel brush and comb, "and
don't le's worry 'bout nothin' more, 'long as we're goin' to be baited."

The "runner" meanwhile was looking at us with the pale, scientific
interest of one who covets curiosities which he yet dare not approach
too intimately.

"Do you smoke before eating, sir?" said he to the captain, at the same
time standing off a little way from the elephant.

"Poo! poo!" said Captain Pharo, turning the whole flower indifferently
to his questioner, and drawing a match with a slight, genteel uplifting
of the leg; "I smoke, as the 'postle says, on all 'ccasions t' all men,
in season an' outer season, an' 'specially when I'm a darn min' ter."

The runner, withered, vanquished by horse and foot, thereafter regarded
us silently.

At the table I made haste first of all to catch the eye of our waiter,
who was also the proprietor of the little inn. I pressed a wordless
plea into his hand. "We are eccentric," I murmured in explanation,
"and you must look well to our wants."

He winked at me as though we had been life-long cronies. "Eccentric
all ye wan' ter," said he, "the more on 'er the better."

I pointed to the captain, who, the table-cloth before him, sat rigid
with hunger.

"The ladies will consider the bill of fare," I said, "and request that
Captain Kobbe may be first served."

"Which'll ye have--boil' salmon, corn' beef, beef-steak, veal stew,
liver an' bacon?" quickly bawled the proprietor into the captain's ear.

"Sartin, sartin, fetch 'em along," said the compliant and nervy
captain, "and don't stand thar' no'ratin' about 'em--'ceptin' liver,"
he added. "I hain't got so low down yit 's to