shed, the captain grunted a note of
approval. "Well," he said, "so there's your ballads. That's your treat.
Now you shall have mine." A little gong hung in the cabin. He banged
upon it to summon his boy, who came in trembling, as he always did,
expecting to be beaten before he went out. "Bring in a jug of cool
water," he said. "Then fetch them limes I bought." As the boy went
out, the captain turned to me with a grin. "Did you ever drink Turk's
sherbet?" he said.

"No," I answered. "I've never even heard of it. What is it?"

"Why," he said, "it's a drink the heathen Turks make out of citron. A
powder which fizzes. I got some of it last autumn when I made a voyage
to Scanderoon. It's been too cold ever since to want to drink any, as
it's a summer drink mostly. Now you shall have some." He took down some
tumblers from the rack in which they stood. "Here's glasses," he said.
"Now the sherbet is in this bottle here." He produced a pint glass
bottle from one of the lockers. It was stopped with a wooden plug,
carved in the likeness of a Turk's head. It was about three parts full
of a whitish powder. A label on the side of the bottle gave directions
for its preparation.

When the boy returned with his tray, the captain squeezed the juice of
half a lime into each of the three tumblers. "That's the first thing,"
he said. "Lime juice. Now the water." He poured water into each glass,
till they were nearly full. "White of egg is said to make it better,"
he said to me. "But at sea I guess we must do without that. Now then.
You're the singer, so you drink first. Be ready to drink it while it
fizzes; for then it's at its best. Are you ready?" I was quite ready, so
the captain filled his spoon with the soft white powder. Glancing round
at Aurelia I saw that she had covered her eyes with her hand. "Won't
Miss Carew drink first?" I asked.

"I don't want any," she said in a low voice. Before I could speak
another word the captain had poured his heaped spoonful of powder into
my glass. "Stir it up, boy," he cried. "Down with it while it fizzes."
Aurelia rose to her feet, catching her breath sharply.

I remember a pleasant taste, as though all of the fruits of the world
had been crushed together into a syrup; then a mist surged all about me,
the cabin became darker, the captain seemed to grow vast, till his body
filled the room. My legs melted from me. I was one little wavering
flame blowing about on great waves. Something was hard upo