Yes, I'm married to Susannah," said Thursday, with a pleased smile;
"she's a dear girl, though she's a deal older than me--old enough to be
my mother. And I've got a babby too--a _splendid_ babby!"

Thursday passed ever the side as he said this, and fortunately did not
see the merriment which him remarks created.

Jack Brace followed him into the canoe, and in less than half-an-hour he
found himself among the wondering, admiring, almost awestruck, islanders
of Pitcairn.

"It's a _man_!" whispered poor Mainmast to Susannah, with the memory of
Fletcher Christian strong upon her.

"What a lovely beard he has!" murmured Sally to Bessy Mills.

Charlie Christian and Matt Quintal chancing, curiously enough, to be
near Sally and Bessy, overheard the whisper, and for the first time each
received a painful stab from the green-eyed demon, jealousy.

But the children did not whisper their comments. They crowded round the
seaman eagerly.

"You've come to live with us?" asked Dolly Young, looking up in his face
with an innocent smile, and taking his rough hand.

"To tell us stories?" said little Arthur Quintal, with an equally
innocent smile.

"Well, no, my dears, not exactly," answered the seaman, looking in a
dazed manner at the pretty faces and graceful forms around him; "but if
I only had the chance to remain here, it's my belief that I would."

Further remark was stopped by the appearance of John Adams coming
towards the group. He walked slowly, and kept his eyes steadily, yet
wistfully, fastened on the seaman. Holding out his hand, he said in a
low tone, as if he were soliloquising, "At last! It's like a dream!"
Then, as the sailor grasped his hand and shook it warmly, he added aloud
a hearty "Welcome, welcome to Pitcairn."

"Thank 'ee, thank 'ee," said Jack Brace, not less heartily; "an' may I
ax if you _are_ one o' the _Bounty_ mutineers, an' no mistake?"

"The old tone," murmured Adams, "and the old lingo, an' the old cut o'
the jib, an'--an'--the old toggery."

He took hold of a flap of Jack's pea-jacket, and almost fondled it.

"Oh, man, but it does my heart good to see you! Come, come away up to
my house an' have some grub. Yes, yes--axin' your pardon for not
answerin' right off--I _am_ one o' the _Bounty_ mutineers; the last
one--John Smith once, better known now as John Adams. But where do you
hail from, friend?"

Jack at once gave him the desired information, told him on the way up
all he knew