Now I'm skipper again, sure enough," remarked Hammond. "Ain't gettin'
seasick, are you?"

The minister laughed.

"No," he said.

"Good! she keeps on a fairly even keel, considerin' her build. THERE
she strikes! That'll do, January; you needn't try for a record voyage.
Walkin's more in your line than playin' steamboat. We're over the worst
of it now. Say! you and I didn't head for port any too soon, did we?"

"No, I should say not. I ought to have known better than to wait out
there so long. I've been warned about this tide. I--"

"S-sh-sh! YOU ought to have known better! What do you think of me? Born
and brought up within sight and smell of this salt puddle and let myself
in for a scrape like this! But it was so mighty fine off there on the
bar I couldn't bear to leave it. I always said that goin' to sea on
land would be the ideal way, and now I've tried it. But you took bigger
chances than I did. Are you a good swimmer?"

"Not too good. I hardly know what might have happened if you hadn't--"

"S-sh-sh! that's all right. Always glad to pick up a derelict, may be a
chance for salvage, you know. Here's the last channel and it's an easy
one. There! now it's plain sailin' for dry ground."

The old horse, breathing heavily from his exertions, trotted over the
stretch of yet uncovered flats and soon mounted the slope of the beach.
The minister prepared to alight.

"Captain Hammond," he said, "you haven't asked me my name."

"No, I seldom do more'n once. There have been times when I'D just as
soon cruise without too big letters alongside my figurehead."

"Well, my name is Ellery."

"Hey? WHAT? Oh, ho! ho! ho!"

He rocked back and forth on the seat. The minister's feelings were a bit
hurt, though he tried not to show it.

"You mustn't mind my laughin'," explained Nat, still chuckling. "It
ain't at you. It's just because I was wonderin' what you'd look like if
I should meet you and now--Ho! ho! You see, Mr. Ellery, I've heard of
you, same as you said you'd heard of me."

Ellery smiled, but not too broadly.

"Yes," he admitted, "I imagined you had."

"Yes, seems to me dad mentioned your name once or twice. As much as
that, anyhow. Wonder what he'd say if he knew his son had been takin'
you for a mornin' ride?"

"Probably that it would have been much better to have left me where you
found me."

The captain's jolly face grew serious.

"No, no!" he protested. "Not so bad as that. Dad wouldn't drown anybody,