ul religious service. "Whoa!" with a
heavy lurch the yellow post-chaise, in which we had performed the second
day's journey, came to a stand. We had arrived before the old stone ark
that was to be our home for half a year.

CHAPTER THREE.

INTRODUCTION TO OUR SALT TUTOR AND THE WRECK.

It was on Wednesday night that we became the guests of Clump and Juno,
and commenced our cape life. The next morning at breakfast--and what a
breakfast! eggs and bacon, lard cakes, clotted cream, honey preserves,
and as much fresh milk as we wanted--Mr Clare told us that we need not
commence our studies until the next week; that we could have the
remainder of this week as holidays in which to make a thorough
acquaintance with our new world.

Our first wishes were to see the wreck and old Mr Mugford, whom we
agreed to dub Captain Mugford; and so, immediately after breakfast, we
started out with Mr Clare to find those items of principal interest.
When we had got beyond a hillock and an immense boulder of
pudding-stone, which stood up to shut out the beach view from the west
side of the house, we saw the wreck, only about half a mile off, and
hurried down to it. Mr Clare joined in the race and beat us, although
Walter pushed him pretty hard.

The brig sat high up on the rocky cliff, where only the fullest tides
reached it. The deck careened at a small angle, and the stern projected
several feet beyond the rocks hanging over the sea. The bow pointed
toward the house. The brig's foremast only was standing, to the head of
which old Mugford used to hoist, on all grand occasions, or on such as
he chose to consider grand, a Union Jack or a red ensign, which had been
saved from the wreck. The bowsprit was but little injured, and the
cordage of that and of the foremast was there, and the shrouds--all of
which had been replaced by old Mugford, who, having made the wreck his
residence by my father's wishes, restored to it some of the grace and
order the good brig possessed before misfortune overtook her, and now it
looked fit for either a sailor or a landsman--a curious mongrel, half
ship, half house. By the stump of the mainmast there stood a stove-pipe
projecting from the deck.

When near the brig, which we always afterwards called by the name she
had sailed under--_Clear the Track_--we hailed "Brig ahoy!" In a moment
the head and shoulders of the Captain appeared above the
companion-hatch, and his sonorous voice answered hearti