ch all the friends of the family were invited to meet with Captain
Ellice and those who had returned from their long and perilous voyage.
It was a joyful gathering that, and glad and grateful hearts were there.

Two days later still, and another feast was given. On this occasion
Buzzby was the host, and Buzzby's cottage was the scene. It was a joyful
meeting, too, and a jolly one to boot, for O'Riley was there, and Peter
Grim, and Amos Parr, and David Mizzle, and Mivins--in short, the entire
crew of the lost _Dolphin_--captain, mates, surgeon, and all. Fred and
his father were also there, and old Mr. Singleton, and a number of other
friends, so that all the rooms in the house had to be thrown open, and
even then Mrs. Buzzby had barely room to move. It was on this occasion
that Buzzby related to his shipmates how Mrs. Ellice had escaped from
drowning on the night they were attacked by pirates on board the West
Indiaman. He took occasion to relate the circumstances just before the
"people from the house" arrived, and as the reader may perhaps prefer
Buzzby's account to ours, we give it as it was delivered.

"You see, it happened this way," began Buzzby.

"Hand us a coal, Buzzby, to light my pipe, before ye begin," said Peter
Grim.

"Ah! then, howld yer tongue, Blunderbore," cried O'Riley, handing the
glowing coal demanded, with as much nonchalance as if his fingers were
made of cast-iron.

"Well, ye see," resumed Buzzby, "when poor Mrs. Ellice wos pitched
overboard, as I seed her with my own two eyes--"

"Stop, Buzzby," said Mivins; "'ow was 'er 'ead at the time?"

"Shut up, Mivins," cried several of the men; "go on, Buzzby."

"Well, I think her '_ead_ wos sou'-west, if it warn't nor'-east. Anyhow
it wos pintin' somewhere or other round the compass. But, as I wos
sayin', when Mrs. Ellice struck the water (an' she told me all about it
herself, ye must know) she sank, and then she comed up, and didn't know
how it wos, but she caught hold of an oar that wos floatin' close beside
her, and screamed for help; but no help came, for it wos dark, and the
ship had disappeared, so she gave herself up for lost. But in a little
the oar struck agin a big piece o' the wreck o' the pirate's boat, and
she managed to clamber upon it, and lay there, a'most dead with cold,
till mornin'. The first thing she saw when day broke forth wos a big
ship, bearin' right down on her, and she wos jist about run down when
one o' the men observed