ure. He got to a knee,
holding out both hands. "Johnnie," he said, "I'll work! I'll do the
loadin' and unloadin'!" (The cargo hook was round his thick neck.)

"Nope," answered Johnnie, carelessly. "Don't need y'. Got Aladdin's
slaves." He waved a hand, motioning the suppliant off.

Below Big Tom scores of Johnnie's friends were waiting--his book
friends, his real friends, and his think-acquaintances. Ignoring the
longshoreman, Johnnie called down to them. "Come on up!" he invited.
"Come ahead! The wind's fine! The ship, she's headin' this way!"

Music sounded, for just that second Johnnie had ordered a band. With the
music there was plenty of dandy drumming--_Rumpety! rumpety! rump! rump!
rump!_

Then, ushered by Buckle, the guests began to stream up the steps.
One-Eye was first, attended by all of his fellow cowboys; and there was
some yip-yipping, and ki-eying, in true Western fashion, Johnnie
saluting each befurred horseman in perfect scout style. On the heels of
all these came Long John Silver, stumping the granite with his wooden
leg, and bidding his fellow buccaneers walk lively. Of course Jim
Hawkins was of this party, carrying the pieces-of-eight parrot in one
hand and leading Boof with the other.

David and Goliath were the next, and each was so pleasant to the other
that no one would have guessed they had ever waged a fight. The two,
like all who had gone by before, gave Barber a withering look as they
passed the drooping figure, after which Mr. Buckle, acting as a sort of
Grand Introducer, planted himself squarely in front of Big Tom, turning
upon him that gorgeous red-plush back, and wholly cutting off his view.

"Glad t' see y'!--It's fine y' could come!--How-d'y'-do!" Johnnie's hand
went from side to hat brim like a piston.

Another parrot! This was Crusoe's, borne by the Islander's servant,
Friday, who strode in the wake of his master along with any number of
man-eating savages, all, however, under perfect control. And on the
heels of these, having just alighted from mammoth, armored and howdahed
elephants, advanced Aladdin, escorting his Princess and her father, the
Sultan, and accompanied by fully a hundred slaves, all fairly groaning
under trays of pearls and rubies, diamonds and emeralds. The slaves and
the savages mingled with one another in the friendliest fashion; and as
Uncas and his painted and feathered braves now appeared, yelling their
war cry and swinging their tomahawks, there was, on