el, which was granted at once.

And now to his astonished gaze displayed themselves cities and harbors,
dragons and elephants, whales which fought with sharks, plate ships
of Spain, islands with apes and palm-trees, each with its name
over-written, and here and there, "Here is gold;" and again, "Much gold
and silver;" inserted most probably, as the words were in English, by
the hands of Mr. Oxenham himself. Lingeringly and longingly the boy
turned it round and round, and thought the owner of it more fortunate
than Khan or Kaiser. Oh, if he could but possess that horn, what needed
he on earth beside to make him blest!

"I say, will you sell this?"

"Yea, marry, or my own soul, if I can get the worth of it."

"I want the horn,--I don't want your soul; it's somewhat of a stale
sole, for aught I know; and there are plenty of fresh ones in the bay."

And therewith, after much fumbling, he pulled out a tester (the only one
he had), and asked if that would buy it?

"That! no, nor twenty of them."

The boy thought over what a good knight-errant would do in such case,
and then answered, "Tell you what: I'll fight you for it."

"Thank 'ee, sir!

"Break the jackanapes's head for him, Yeo," said Oxenham.

"Call me jackanapes again, and I break yours, sir." And the boy lifted
his fist fiercely.

Oxenham looked at him a minute smilingly. "Tut! tut! my man, hit one of
your own size, if you will, and spare little folk like me!"

"If I have a boy's age, sir, I have a man's fist. I shall be fifteen
years old this month, and know how to answer any one who insults me."

"Fifteen, my young cockerel? you look liker twenty," said Oxenham, with
an admiring glance at the lad's broad limbs, keen blue eyes, curling
golden locks, and round honest face. "Fifteen? If I had half-a-dozen
such lads as you, I would make knights of them before I died. Eh, Yeo?"

"He'll do," said Yeo; "he will make a brave gamecock in a year or
two, if he dares ruffle up so early at a tough old hen-master like the
captain."

At which there was a general laugh, in which Oxenham joined as loudly as
any, and then bade the lad tell him why he was so keen after the horn.

"Because," said he, looking up boldly, "I want to go to sea. I want to
see the Indies. I want to fight the Spaniards. Though I am a gentleman's
son, I'd a deal liever be a cabin-boy on board your ship." And the lad,
having hurried out his say fiercely enough, dropped his head again.

"And