Orley and his father each seized an arm, and next moment Rosco stood up.

"Now den, don' hurry him--hurrah!" cried Ebony, giving a cheer of
encouragement.

"Have a care, friends; don't let me go," said Rosco anxiously, clutching
his supporters' necks with a convulsive grasp. "I'll never do it,
Zeppa. I feel that if you quit me for an instant, I shall go down like
a shot."

"No fear. Here, cut him a staff, Ebony," said Zeppa; "that'll be equal
to three legs, you know, and even a stool can stand alone with three
legs."

The staff was cut and handed to the learner, who, planting it firmly on
the ground before him, leaned on it, and exclaimed, "Let go!" in tones
which instantly suggested "the anchor" to his friends.

The order was obeyed, and the ex-pirate stood swaying to and fro, and
smiling with almost childlike delight. Presently he became solemn,
lifted one leg, and set it down again with marvellous rapidity. Then he
lifted the other leg with the same result. Then he lifted the staff,
but had to replace it smartly to prevent falling forward.

"I fear I can only do duty as a motionless tripod," he said rather
anxiously.

"Nebber fear, massa--oh! Look out!"

The latter exclamation was caused by Rosco falling backwards; to prevent
which catastrophe he made a wild flourish with his arms, and a sweep
with his staff, which just grazed the negro's cheek. Zeppa, however,
caught him in his arms, and set him up again.

"Now then, try once more," he said encouragingly.

Rosco tried, and in the course of half-an-hour managed, with many a
stagger and upheaval of the arms and staff to advance about eight or ten
yards. At this point, however, he chanced to place the end of the right
leg on a soft spot of ground. Down it went instantly to the knee, and
over went the learner on his side, snapping the leg short off in the
fall!

It would be difficult to paint the general disappointment at this sudden
collapse of the experiment. A united groan burst from the party,
including the patient, for it at once became apparent that a man with a
wooden leg--to say nothing of two--could only walk on a hard beaten
path, and as there were few such in the island, Rosco's chance of a long
ramble seemed to vanish. But Zeppa and his son were not men to be
easily beaten. They set to work to construct feet for the legs, which
should be broad enough to support their friend on softish ground, and
these were so arranged with a sort