islands. A ship may sail on, though, for days together and
not see land. Some of these islands are very low, only just above the
water, and are made of coral, and others have high mountains in them.
Some of these throw up fire and ashes, and are called volcanoes.

I was much taken with all Captain Bolton told me (for that was the
gentleman's name), and as he was not to leave Poole for two days, there
was time for me to go back and see mother and brothers and sisters.

Mother and the rest cried very much when they found I was really going,
but when she heard what a nice man Captain Bolton was, she cheered up a
bit. One lady sent her three shirts for me, and another a pair of
shoes, and Farmer Denn, who had a son who was lost overboard at sea,
sent me a whole suit of the lad's clothes. People were very kind.

To my mind there are a good many kind people in the world, if we did but
know where to find them.

I won't tell about the leave-taking. I don't like, even now, to think
about it.

Captain Bolton took me with him round in a brig to Liverpool. The
little vessel was tossed and tumbled about, and as I had nothing to do
except to think of myself, I was very sick. If I could have left the
ship and gone back home when I once got on shore, I would have done so.
Captain Bolton told me that I was only getting my inside to rights, and
that I should think nothing of such work when I had been a few weeks at
sea.

Ships are named after people aid all sort of things. Captain Bolton's
ship was called the _Rose_. She had three masts, and a crew of thirty
men, with six big guns, for we were going to some curious,
out-of-the-way places, and might have to fight the savages, I was told.
She had three mates besides the captain, and another officer called a
boatswain, who had a good deal to do with managing the men. As soon as
I got on board, the captain told me to go to him, and that he would look
after me. His name was Alder.

The ship was nearly ready for sea, with most of her cargo on board, so
that we had not long to wait till we bid good-bye to Old England.

I wish that I could make those who have never seen a ship understand
what one is like. Sailors call a ship she, and often speak of her as
the old girl. Our ship was built of wood, longer than most houses, and
covered in by what we call a deck. At the fore end there was a place
for the crew to live in, called the fore-peak, and at the after-end
rooms or cab