e said; "and it is a primitive place, and
no mistake, but you're right: we shall only stop here long enough to
load up, and then off we go inland, pioneers of the new land."

Man tossed up his straw hat, and cried "hooray!" his brother joined in,
and the sailors forward, who were waiting to warp the great vessel
alongside the rough wharf, joined in the cheer, supposing the shout to
be given because, after months of bad weather, they were all safe in a
sunny port.

At the cheer three ladies came out of the companionway, followed by a
short, grey, fierce-looking man, who walked eagerly to the group of
boys.

"Here, what's the matter?" he cried. "Anything wrong?"

"No, uncle," said Norman. "I only said `Hooray!' because we have got
here safe."

"Did mamma and the girls come out because we cheered?" said Rifle.
"Hallo, here's Aunt Georgie too!"

He ran to the cabin entrance, from which now appeared an elderly lady of
fifty-five or sixty, busily tying a white handkerchief over her cap, and
this done as the boy reached her, she took out her spectacle-case.

"What's the matter, Rifle?" she said excitedly. "Is the ship going
down?"

"No, aunt, going up the river. We're all safe in port."

"Thank goodness," said the lady, fervently. "Oh, what a voyage!"

She joined the ladies who had previously come on deck--a tall,
grave-looking, refined woman of forty, and two handsome girls of about
twenty, both very plainly dressed, but whose costume showed the many
little touches of refinement peculiar to a lady.

"Well, Marian, I hope Edward is happy now."

The lady smiled and laid her hand upon Aunt Georgina's arm.

"Of course he is, dear, and so are we all. Safe in port after all those
long weeks."

"I don't see much safety," said Aunt Georgie, as she carefully arranged
her spectacles, and looked about her. "Bless my heart! what a
ramshackle place. Surely this isn't Port Haven."

"Yes; this is Port Haven, good folks," said Captain Bedford, joining
them and smiling at the wondering looks of all.

"Then the man who wrote that book, Edward, ought to be hanged."

"What's the matter, aunt?" said Norman, who hurried up with his cousin.

"Matter, my dear? Why, that man writing his rubbish and deluding your
poor father into bringing us to this horrible, forsaken-looking place!"

"Forsaken?" cried Captain Bedford, "not at all. We've just come to it.
Why, what more do you want? Bright sunshine, a glittering river,