y against the supposed reception of
the old glumm, and had set all the chests in the order they desired they
might be opened in. But Tommy running to me, with a "Pray, daddy, open
my chest first! pray, give me my playthings first!" it was, to satisfy
him, concluded in favour of his demand. So, he pointing to the chest
which he regarded as his property, I opened it, whilst his eyes were
ready to pierce through it, till I came to his treasure. "There, there
they are, daddy!" says he, as soon as I had uncovered them. And indeed,
when I saw them, I could not but much commend the child for his fancy;
for the first things that appeared were a silver punch or wine can and
a ladle, then a gold watch, a pair of scissors, a small silver
chafing-dish and lamp, a large case of mathematical instruments, a
flageolet, a terrella or globular loadstone, a small globe, a dozen of
large silver spoons, and a small case of knives and forks and spoons;
in short, there was, I believe, the greatest part of the Portuguese
captain's valuable effects.

These Tommy claiming as his own proper chattels, I could not help
interposing somewhat of my authority in the affair. "Hold, hold, son!"
says I, "these things are all mine; but as I have several of you who
will all be equally pleased with them, though, as the first finder, you
may be entitled to the best share, you are not to grasp the whole, you
must all have something like an equality; and as to some things which
may be equally useful to us all, they must be set up to be used upon
occasion, and are to be considered as mine and your mother's property."
I thereupon gave each of them a large silver spoon, and with a fork I
scratched the initials of their names respectively on them, and divided
several of the trifles amongst them equally. "And now, Tommy," says I,
"you for your pains shall have this more than the rest," offering him
the flageolet. Tommy looked very gloomy, and though he durst not find
fault, his dissatisfaction was very visible by coolly taking it, tossing
it down, and walking gravely off. "I thought," says I, "Tommy, I had
made a good choice for you; but, as I find you despise it, here, Pedro,
do you take that pretty thing, since your brother slights it" Tommy
replied, speaking but half out, and a little surly, more than I ever
observed before, "Let him take it if he will, I can get bits of sticks
enough in the wood."

My method had always been to avoid either beating or scolding a