"There's nothing to find fault with yet," said he; "she's a whale at
rolling, sartinly. I guess she walks, though. I reckon she's had enough
of the sea, like me, and's got the scent o' the land in her nose. I
guess old Noah wasn't far off when her lines was laid. Mebbe his sons
had the building of her. There's something scriptural in her cut. How
old's she, master?"

"Fifty years and more," said I.

"Dere's nuffin' pertickler in dat," cried Cromwell. "I knows a wessel
dat am a hundred an' four year old, s'elp me as I stand."

"I don't know how the whaler's heading," said I, "but this schooner's a
canoe if we aren't dropping her!"

Indeed she was scarce visible astern, a mere windy flicker hovering upon
the pale flashings of the foam. It might be perhaps that the whaler was
making a more northerly course than we, and under very snug canvas,
though ours was snug enough, too; but be this as it may, I was mighty
pleased with the slipping qualities of the schooner. I never could have
dreamt that so odd and ugly a figure of a ship would show such heels.
But I think this: we are too prone to view the handiwork of our sires
with contempt. I do not know but that their ships were as fast as ours.
They made many good passages. They might have proved themselves fleeter
navigators had they had the sextant and chronometer to help them along.
Fifty years hence perhaps mankind will be laughing at our crudities; at
us, by heaven, who flatter ourselves that the art of ship-building and
navigation will never be carried higher than the pitch to which we have
raised them!

Cromwell being at the tiller, I told Billy Pitt to go below and get
supper, instructing him what to dress and how much to melt for a bowl,
for as you know there was nothing but spirits and wine to season our
repasts with. I saw Cromwell grin widely into the binnacle candle flame
when he heard me talk of ham, tongue, sweetmeats, marmalade and the like
for supper, together with a can of hot claret, and knowing sailor's
nature middling well, I did not doubt that the fare of the schooner
would bring the three men more into love with the adventure than even
the reward that was to follow it.

I had noticed that the bundles which had been sent from the whaler as
belonging to the poor fellows were meagre enough and showed indeed like
the end of a long voyage, and I detained Billy Pitt a minute whilst I
told them that there was a handsome stock of clothes in the cabins,
tog