puffed out these gills, it appeared, as Mr Strong pointed out,
just like a fat old gentleman taking a glass of some rare and highly-
recommended wine and "washing his mouth out" so as to taste it properly.

"Oh, papa, how funny!" exclaimed Nell. "It is just like that, too! But
look, Captain, there's a `soldier crab,' isn't it?"

"Yes, my dear, and we'll keep him for your aquarium; as well as some new
sea-anemones and another zoophyte I see here, too. This chap is
christened the `alcyonium' by learned naturalists, but is called `dead
man's fingers' by the fisher-folk along shore."

"What a horrid name!" interposed Nellie, shuddering--"a horrid name!"

"It is so named," continued the Captain, "because the creature has the
advantage of having several bodies instead of one, all radiating from a
single stem, like fingers or toes. But now, I think, there's nothing
much of any good left of our shoot, save a few oysters. Those will come
in handy presently, eh, Strong?"

"Yes, I shan't mind," replied the barrister. "I'm beginning to have an
appetite, I think."

"We'll have luncheon at once then," said the old sailor with alacrity,
as if this would be a labour of love. "I'm not beginning to have an
appetite, because I've got one already, and a precious good one, too!
Do you think you can pick a bit if you try, eh, young people?"

"Yes, please," replied Nell. Master Bob's response was a shout of
"Rather," fully indicative of his feelings; while Dick grinned so much
that his face was a study as he said "Y-es, sir, sure-ly!"

Taking all these evidences as proof of the unanimity of the company on
the subject, the Captain, all helping, at once set about the
preparations for the coming feast. He first, however, tied up the
pocket of the trawl again, preparatory to heaving it overboard; so that
they could "kill two birds with one stone," as he said, and be fishing
and eating at the same time.

Each had something to do after this important operation.

Dick began by scraping some soles which the Captain selected from the
number he had put aside for Mrs Gilmour. Next, Master Bob washed these
in a bucket of water he had procured from over the side of the cutter in
sailor fashion; and then handing them to the Captain, who officiated as
"master of the kitchen," over the gridiron in the "fo'c's'le,"--the old
sailor cooked away quite cheerfully, in spite of having to bend himself
almost in two in the little cabin in order to