commodore began seriously to
think he was to get nothing besides, the lemon-seeds for his share.
This apprehension, however, could only arise from ignorance of his
companion's character, than whom a juster man, according to the
notions of ship-masters, did not live; and had one measured the punch
that was left in the bowl when this draught was ended, he would have
found that precisely one half of it was still untouched, to a
thimblefull. The commodore now had his turn; and before he got
through, the bottom of the vessel was as much uppermost as the butt
of a club bed firelock. When the honest fisherman took breath after
this exploit, and lowered his cup from the vault of heaven to the
surface of the earth, he caught a view of a boat crossing the lake,
coming from the Silent Pine, to that Point on which they were
enjoying so many agreeable hallucinations on the subject of
temperance.

"Yonder is the party from the Wigwam," he said, "and they will be
just in time to become converts to our opinions, if they have any
doubts on the subjects we have discussed. Shall we give up the ground
to them, by taking to the skiff, or do you feel disposed to face the
women?"

"Under ordinary circumstances, commodore, I should prefer your
society to all the petticoats in the State, but there are two ladies
in that party, either of whom I would marry, any day, at a minute's
warning."

"Sir," said the commodore with a tone of warning, "we, who have lived
bachelors so long, and are wedded to the water, ought never to speak
lightly on so grave a subject."

"Nor do I. Two women, one of whom is twenty, and the other seventy--
and hang me if I know which I prefer."

"You would soonest be rid of the last, my dear general, and my advice
is to take her."

"Old as she is, sir, a king would have to plead hard to get her
consent. We will make them some punch, that they may see we were
mindful of them in their absence."

To work these worthies now went in earnest, in order to anticipate
the arrival of the party, and as the different compounds were in the
course of mingling, the conversation did not flag. By this time both
the salt-water and the fresh-water sailor were in that condition when
men are apt to think aloud, and the commodore had lost all his awe of
his companion.

"My dear sir," said the former, "I am a thousand times sorry you came
from that river, for, to tell you my mind without any concealment, my
only objection to you is t