hand or steward he could make
when circumstances demanded it.

Working hard, laughing much, eating most heartily, and sleeping well,
the busy and hilarious little party on board the _Summer Shelter_
steamed into the harbor of Kingston, after a much shorter voyage than is
generally made from Nassau to that port.

"If I could get a crew of jolly parsons," cried Captain Burke, "and
could give them a month's training on board this yacht, I'd rather have
them than any crew that could be got together from Cape Horn to the
North Pole!"

"And by the time you had made able seamen of them," said Mr. Burdette,
who was of a conventional turn of mind, "they'd all go back to their
pulpits and preach!"

"And preach better!" said Mr. Litchfield, who was standing by. "Yes,
sir, I believe they would all preach better!"

When the anchor was dropped, not quite so promptly as it would have been
done if the clerical crew had had any previous practice in this
operation, Mr. Burke was about to give orders to lower a boat,--for he
was anxious to get on shore as soon as possible,--when he perceived a
large boat rowed by six men and with a man in the stern, rapidly
approaching the yacht. If they were port officials, he thought, they
were extremely prompt, but he soon saw that the man in the stern, who
stood up and waved a handkerchief, was his old friend Shirley.

"He must have been watching for us," said Captain Burke to Mrs. Cliff,
"and he put out from one of the wharves as soon as we hove in sight.
Shirley is a good fellow! You can trust to him to look out for his
friends!"

In a very short time the six powerful negro oarsmen had Shirley's boat
alongside, and in a few seconds after that, he stood upon the deck of
the _Summer Shelter_. Burke was about to spring forward to greet his old
comrade, but he stepped back to give way to Mrs. Cliff, who seized the
hand of Shirley and bade him a most hearty welcome, although, had she
met him by herself elsewhere, she would not have recognized him in the
neat travelling suit which he now wore.

Shirley was delighted to meet Burke and Mrs. Cliff, he expressed
pleasure in making the acquaintance of Miss Croup, who, standing by Mrs.
Cliff's side, was quickly introduced, and he looked with astonishment at
the body of queer-looking men who were gathered on the deck, and who
appeared to be the crew of the yacht. But he wasted no time in friendly
greetings nor in asking questions, but quickly informed