engers landing at Clarence Yard, the
great food depot of the Navy.

Here they saw all that was to be seen, gazing with wonder at the vast
stores of things eatable accumulated for the service of the fleet--Bob
and Miss Nell being particularly interested in the bread-factory and
bakery, where the attendant who showed them over the place completed
their satisfaction by filling their respective pockets with the curious
hexagonal-shaped biscuits there made, "thus provisioning them," as the
Captain said, "for the remainder of their stay."

They crossed back from Gosport to Portsmouth by the floating bridge,
which, of course, Bob wanted to know all about, the Captain explaining
to him how it was fixed on two chains passing through the vessel and
moored on either shore, so as to prevent the "bridge" from being swayed
by the action of the tide, which runs very strongly in and out of the
harbour at the point of its passage.

"But how does the bridge move?" asked the inquiring Bob, full of
questions as usual. "I can't see how it can, if it be chained up like
Rover!"

"There is a steam-engine in the centre of the vessel, as you can see for
yourself, there," replied the Captain, pointing to the funnels that bore
out his statement. "This engine works a pair of vertical wheels inside
that casing between the two divisions of the boat; and these wheels,
which are each some eight feet in diameter and cogged, wind in the
chains at one end, paying them out at the other."

"I see," said Bob; and the floating bridge having by this time reached
its terminus at the Portsmouth side of the water, they all stepped
ashore and made their way home, Mrs Strong declaring that she had had
"enough of going about, for one day at least!"

In spite of her exertions, however, she was none the worse for them
after dinner; being able, indeed, to accompany the others down to the
beach, Rover now forming one of the party, and magnanimously forgiving
his young master for leaving him behind all day in the house while he
went gallivanting about sight-seeing, albeit Dick's company and Sarah's
kindness in the way of tit-bits somewhat made amends to the poor dog for
the neglect of the truant Bob.

"By the way," said the Captain to the latter, on taking his leave in the
evening after escorting them back to "the Moorings," "you mustn't forget
the trial of the _Archimedes_ to-morrow, my boy. Captain Sponson told
me the other day at the Club that she'd go out