ever saw a tree grow with its leaves like
that. Leaves ought to be flat, and hanging down. Them's all set
edgewise like butcher's broom, and pretty stuff that is."

"But they don't all grow that way."

"Oh yes, they do, sir. Trees can't grow proper in such syle as this
here. Look here, Master 'Temus, you always did care for your garden so
long as I did all the weeding for you. You can speak fair. Now tell me
this, What colour ought green trees to be?"

"Why, green, of course."

"Werry well, then; just look at them leaves. Ye can't call them green;
they're pink and laylock, and dirty, soap-suddy green."

"Well, there then, look how beautifully the grass grows."

"Grass? Ye-e-es; it's growing pretty thick. Got used to it, I
suppose."

"So will our fruits and vegetables, Sam."

"Nay, Master Norman, never. The syle won't suit, sir, nor the country,
nor the time, nor nothing."

"Nonsense!"

"Nay, sir, 'tain't nonsense. The whole place here's topsy-turvy like.
Why, it's Christmas in about a fortnit's time, and are you going to tell
me this is Christmas weather? Why, it's hot as Horgus."

"Well, that's because we're so far south."

"That we ain't, sir. We're just as far north as we are south, and you
can't get over that."

"But it's because we've crossed the line," cried Rifle. "Don't you
remember I told you ever so long ago that we were just crossing the
line?"

"Oh yes, I remember; but I knew you was gammoning me. I never see no
line?"

"Of course not. It's invisible."

"What? Then you couldn't cross it. If a thing's inwisible, it's
because it ain't there, and you can't cross a thing as ain't there."

"Oh, you stubborn old mule!" cried Norman.

"If you forgets yourself like that, Master Norman, and treats me
disrespeckful, calling me a mule, I shall tell the captain."

"No, don't; I'm not disrespectful, Sam," cried Norman, anxiously. "Look
here, about the line: don't you know that there's a north pole and a
south pole?"

"Yes, I've heard so, sir; and as Sir John Franklin went away from our
parts to find it, but he didn't find it, because of course it wasn't
there, and he lost hisself instead."

"But, look here; right round the middle of the earth there's a line."

"Don't believe it, sir. No line couldn't ever be made big enough to go
round the world; and if it could, there ain't nowheres to fasten it to."

"But I mean an imaginary line that divides the world into two equal
p