ation if
these two were spliced; besides, I want a dance at a wedding, or a
shindy of some sort, before setting sail for the land of spices and
niggers. Haco puts a stop to all that; but, worse still, when I was
down at the Sailors' Home the other day, I heard him telling some
wonderful stories to the men there, in one of which he boasted that he
had never been taken by surprise, nor got a start in his life; that a
twenty-four pounder had once burst at his side and cut the head clean
off a comrade, without causing his nerves to shake or his pulse to
increase a bit. I laid him a bet of ten pounds on the spot that I could
give him a fright, and he took it at once. Now I can't for the life of
me think how to give him a fright, yet I _must_ do it somehow, for it
will never do to be beat."

"Couldn't you shoot off a pistol at his ear?" suggested Lizzie.

Miss Puff sniggered, and Gildart said he might as well try to startle
him with a sneeze.

"Get up a ghost, then," said Lizzie; "I have known a ghost act with
great effect on a dark night in an out-of-the-way place."

"No use," returned Gildart, shaking his head. "Haco has seen ghosts
enough to frighten a squadron of horse-marines."

Miss Puff sniggered again, and continued to do so until her puffy face
and neck became extremely pink and dangerously inflated, insomuch that
Gildart asked her somewhat abruptly what in the world she was laughing
at. Miss Puff said she wouldn't tell, and Gildart insisted that she
would; but she positively declined, until Gildart dragged her forcibly
from her chair into a window-recess, where she was prevailed on to
whisper the ideas that made her laugh.

"Capital!" exclaimed the middy, chuckling as he issued from the recess;
"I'll try it. You're a charming creature, Puff, with an imagination
worthy the owner of a better name. There, don't pout. You know my
sentiments. Adieu, fair cousin! Puff, good-bye."

So saying, the volatile youth left the room.

That afternoon Gildart sauntered down to the Sailors' Home and entered
the public hall, in which a dozen or two of sailors were engaged in
playing draughts or chatting together. He glanced round, but, not
finding the object of his search, was about to leave, when Dan Horsey
came up, and, touching his hat, asked if he were looking for Haco
Barepoles.

"I am," said Gildart.

"So is meself," said Dan; "but the mad skipper an't aisy to git howld
of, an' not aisy to kape howld of w