to get
home again."

"Ship ahoy!" called out the sailor, when he first saw them.

[Illustration: "'They calls me a skipper,' said he, 'because I skips.'"]

"How do you do?" said Dick, politely offering his hand.

"Stop a bit, my hearty," said the sailor. "Salt!" and he began skipping
rather quickly. "Pepper!!" and he quickened the pace considerably.
"Mustard!!!" and the rope flew round so quickly that the children could
hardly see it, while the jolly fat sailor skipped up and down furiously.
Presently he stopped, and sank exhausted on a stone, puffing and blowing
with all his might.

"I'm a Skipper," he panted, in an explanatory tone.

"A Skipper!" exclaimed the children.

"Yes, they calls me a Skipper," said he, "because I skips."

"But I thought a Skipper was a kind of Captain or something," said
Marjorie.

"Quite right, my little dear; I'm Captain of the tidiest craft ye ever
set eyes on. She's lying out yonder. Will ye come and have a look at
her?"

"Oh, yes, please," said Dick, delightedly; "and perhaps you can tell us
the way to get to England?"

"To be sure I can," said the Skipper. "There are my men," he said,
proudly, as they came to an open space, where a dozen or more sailors,
of all ages, sat at spinning wheels, working industriously.

"Whatever are they doing?" inquired Marjorie, curiously.

[Illustration: "Each sailor was spinning a yarn."]

"Spinning yarns," explained the Skipper; "each sailor is spinning a
yarn--they always do that in their spare time, you know. Here, Bill," he
called out to one of the sailors, who answered, "Aye, aye, Sir," and
touched his forelock. "Bring some of your yarn here, and show this young
lady."

The man said, "Aye, aye, Sir," again, and came forward with some coarse
brown worsted.

"This," said the Skipper, "is the toughest yarn you will find anywhere.
We are celebrated for it here."

CHAPTER XII.

THE ARCHAEOPTERYX.

"But we always thought----" began Marjorie--

"That when people spoke of a sailor 'spinning a yarn,' they meant
telling a story," finished Dick.

"Oh! oh! how _could_ you think such a thing," said the sailors,
indignantly. "Sailors always tell the truth; don't they, Skipper?"

The Skipper winked at Dick with one eye, and answered, guardedly, "Ahem!
I _have_ heard a sailor speak the truth, certainly, but----"

"Let's change the subject," said the sailors, getting up from their
wheels. "Isn't it nearly time for us to be sta