augh of his, which always preceded any of his good things, "the worm or
grub develops into the butterfly; but Snowball made the butter fly when
he tumbled over that cask in the steerage, and now he is going to
develop into the grub line and turn cook!"

"That's too bad!" said Kate laughing. "I never heard a worse sort of
pun in my life."

"Then it's all the better, my dear," replied he; and as everybody else
laughed too, they possibly shared the captain's opinion.

After this, there was a move on deck--not before it was needed perhaps!

At noon, Captain Dinks, after manipulating his sextant and adjusting the
sights, seemed to be much longer taking his observation than usual; and
when he went below to his cabin to work out the reckoning he certainly
remained a most unconscionable time.

By and by, however, he came up the companion again, his face beaming
with delight.

"What do you think, Mr Meldrum?" said he, somewhat excitedly, to that
gentleman, who, along with the remainder of the saloon party, was
standing on the poop leaning over the taffrail to windward, looking over
the apparently limit less expanse of water, that stretched away to the
horizon, and basking in the sunshine, which was tempered by a mellow
breeze that seemed just sufficient to keep the sails of the _Nancy Bell_
full--and that was all.

"I'm sure I can't say," replied Mr Meldrum good-humouredly. "Found
another ghost in the cabin, eh?"

"No, no; couldn't have two in one voyage," said the skipper.

"Made another conundrum?" again inquired the other slily, poking fun at
the captain's previous attempt in the riddle line.

"Oh, no," said Captain Dinks, laughing out at this. "That was too good
to be repeated: I've got better news than that, Mr Meldrum--something
really to surprise you!"

"I'm all attention," said Mr Meldrum, "but pray do not keep us long in
suspense. Don't you see we're all anxious!"

"Why," exclaimed Captain Dinks triumphantly, "the _Nancy Bell_ has made
nearly five degrees of latitude since I last took the sun, there!"

"Oh dear!" said Florry ruefully; "I thought you were going to tell us
something funny!" and she looked so disappointed that Kate laughed at
her and Master Maurice Negus grinned; whereupon Florry, in a pet,
smacked the young gentleman's face, for which she was reproved by her
father and ordered below, although the sentence of banishment was
remitted later on at Mrs Major Negus's especial request.

This