, Mick
carefully let down Jocko on the other side at this point, telling him in
a whispered word of command that he was on `sentry go' and mustn't stir
till the order was given to `relieve guard.'

Jocko evidently understood him clearly; for, although I expected he
would have climbed back again on Mick's shoulder almost as soon as he
put him down, the intelligent animal remained in the garden.

All things therefore working together as we wished, Mick and I now
proceeded up to the front door and knocked.

Unfortunately, father had seen the _Active_ coming in and "blown the
gaff" on us; and so, instead of our taking them by surprise, we found
them on the lookout and all ready to receive us.

Little Jenny, who had grown considerably since I had last seen her, and
was all the prettier, too, as Mick, I noticed, observed as well as
myself, of course opened the door for us; and coming up the passage
behind her was mother and father, with the cockatoo `Ally Sloper'
bringing up the roar of the procession, all of them laughing and
talking, and saying, all in one breath and at the same time, how glad
they were to see me and Mick again, old `Ally Sloper' screaming out
louder than the lot, "I'll wring your neck! I'll wring your neck!" We
did have a tea.

To look at the table, one would have thought we had been starved all the
time we were afloat, and that mother wished us to make up what leeway we
had lost in the grub line by stowing our holds now as full as we could
possibly manage.

Bless you, there was a dish of ham and eggs got ready by Jenny in a
jiffy, sufficient to have served round the whole of our mess; while, as
for the bread and butter, cut thin so as to make one want to eat the
more, with marmalade and cakes and the jam, there was plenty, I think,
for our whole ship's company!

Mick and I ate and ate, I pressed by mother, and he unable to resist
Jenny's hospitable solicitude, until neither of us felt inclined to
rise; when, just at the end of the feast--Mick and I being only just
able then to make signs showing our inability to stow any more, speech
having failed us--a most terrible bobbery broke out in the back garden,
the cockatoo yelling like mad, and every other bird, I believe, in the
shop joining in a demoniac chorus and lending emphasis to his screams.

"Ship my rullocks!" cried father, jumping up from his seat and making
for the scullery door, with mother and Jenny after him. "It's that
dratted old t