.

The next morning, before I was up, there was an altercation on deck; and
the word "stuff" seemed to prevail over every other.

"Here, D----," I heard R---- exclaim to the sailing master, "just look
here;" and then a short pause ensued, until D---- reached the after part
of the yacht, where the jolly-boat had been secured on deck.

"As long as you fellows can stuff yourselves," R---- continued, "that's
all you care about; but, after that, my property may go to the devil."

Then there was a dialogue, in an under tone, explanatory of something
that had gone wrong.

"I am sure, my Lord," pursued D----, "I am as careful as I can be, and I
endeavour to make every man the same."

"It's all very fine to say so," answered R----, "but I wish you would
act after the same fashion; for here's a salmon I ordered to be cured at
Larvig, for the purpose of sending to England as a present; and just
because not one man would take the trouble to throw a piece of tarpaulin
over it last night, to keep off the rain, it is perfectly spoilt."

The cured salmon had been placed in the jolly-boat the evening before,
and orders were strictly given, that it should be covered during the
night; but the attention paid to those orders amounted to what I have
related. The salmon, however, was hung up in the shrouds, and after a
great deal of trouble and attention, it was sufficiently preserved to
arrive in England, three weeks afterwards, and to command the praise of
every one who tasted it.

At two o'clock in the afternoon we entered Christiansand Harbour; and
taking our old berth a little to the westward of the castle, fired a
salute, to let our friends know we had returned. Several gentlemen came
on board, and made many inquiries about our travels; and when they had
learned all, arrangements were made for us to fish in the Toptdal River,
at Boom, as long as we liked.

Early on Monday morning we weighed anchor, and reached up the fiord as
far towards the mouth of the Toptdal River, as the depth of water would
permit; and after an hour's sail, the yacht was brought up in a
beautiful little bay, about three miles from Christiansand, and about
four from Boom.

From a sky azure and warm as in an oriental clime, not a cloud was
reflected on the smooth, transparent water, and scarcely a breath of
air stirred the leaves of the trees. So absolute was the stillness, that
the voices of fishermen, who dwelt among the rocks, could be heard in
conver