, and we had a four hours' pull after that, to tow the carcase to the
ship, for there wasn't a cat's-paw of wind on the water.

"W'en we came alongside, we got out the tackles, and before beginning to
flense (that means, ma'am, to strip off the blubber), we cut a hole in
the top o' the skull to get out the oil that was there; for you must
know that the sperm-whale has got a sort of 'ollow or big cavern in its
'ead, w'ich is full o' the best oil, quite pure, that don't need to be
cleared, but is all ready to be baled out and stowed away in casks.
Well, w'en the 'ole was cut in its skull I went down on my knees on the
edge of it to peep in, when my knees they slipped on the blubber, and in
I went 'ead-foremost, souse into the whale's skull, and began to swim
for life in the oil.

"Of course I began to roar for 'elp like a bull, and Rokens there, 'oo
'appened to be near, 'e let down the hend of a rope, but my 'ands was so
slippy with oil I couldn't ketch 'old of it; so 'e 'auls it up agin, and
lets down a rope with a 'ook at the hend, and I got 'old of this and
stuck it into the waistband o' my trousers, and gave the word, `'Eave
away, my 'earties;' and sure enough so they did, and pulled me out in a
trice. And that's 'ow it was; and I lost a suit o' clo's, for nothing
on 'arth would take the oil out, and I didn't need to use pomatum for
six months after."

"No more you did," cried Rokens, who had listened to the narrative with
suppressed delight; "no more you did. I never see sich a glazed rat as
you wos when you comed out o' that hole, in all my life; an' he wos jist
like a eel; it wos all we could do to keep 'old on 'im, marm, he was so
slippery."

While the captain was laughing at the incident, and Rokens was narrating
some of the minute details in the half-unwilling yet half-willing ears
of the sisters, the door opened, and a young man entered hastily and
apologised for being late.

"The fact is, Miss Dunning, had I not promised faithfully to come, I
should not have made my appearance at all to-night."

"Why, Glynn, what has kept you, lad?" interrupted the captain. "I
thought you were a man of your word."

"Ay, that's the question, capting," said Rokens, who evidently regarded
the new arrival with no favourable feelings; "it's always the way with
them _gentlemen_ sailors till they're got into blue water and brought to
their bearin's."

Mr Rokens had wisdom enough to give forth the last part of his speech