In another minute, the fore and aft hawsers that had previously made her fast to the pier were cast-off, and her paddles began to revolve with a heavy splashing sound, like that of flails in a farmyard threshing out the grain. "Starboard!" sang out her skipper, now mounting from the paddle-box to the bridge above. "Hard over, my man!" "Starboard it is, sir," replied the helmsman, rapidly twirling the spokes of the wheel as he spoke. "It's right over, sir." "Steady!" now sang out the skipper, meaning that the vessel's head had been sufficiently turned in the direction he desired. "Steady; keep her so." "Steady it is, sir," repeated the man at the wheel like a parrot, to show that the order had been understood and acted upon. "Steady it is." "Port a trifle now." "Aye, aye, sir," returned the helmsman, reversing the wheel. "Port it is, sir; two points over." "Steady." "Steady it is." Whereupon, a straight course being now laid for the little port to which they were bound on the Isle of Wight opposite, the _Bembridge Belle_ steamed ahead, splashing and dashing through the water, that rippled over with laughter in the bright sunshine, lightening up its translucent depths, and leaving a broad silvery wake of dancing eddies behind her. CHAPTER TEN. AFLOAT--AND ASHORE. "Sure, I'm almost dead entirely, with all that hurrying and scurrying!" exclaimed Mrs Gilmour, when she was at length got safely on board the little steamer and comfortably placed on a cosy seat aft, near the wheel, to which Captain Dresser had gallantly escorted her. "Really, now, I couldn't have run another yard, if it had been to save me life!" She panted out the words with such a racy admixture of her Irish "brogue," which always became more "pronounced" with her when she was at all excited in any way, that the Captain, even while showing every sympathy for her distressed condition, could not help chuckling as he imitated her tone of voice and accent--much to the amusement of Master Bob and Miss Nellie, you may be sure! "Sure, an' there's no knowin' what ye can do, now, till ye thry, ma'am!" said he. "Is there, me darlint?" "None of your nonsense," she replied laughing; "I won't have you making fun of my country like that. I'm sure you're just as much an Irishman as I am!" This slip delighted the Captain. "There, ma'am," he exclaimed exultingly, "you've been and gone and put your foot in it now in all conscience." "Oh, auntie!" cried Nellie, "an _Irishman_!" This made Mrs Gilmour see her blunder, and she cheerfully joined in the laugh against herself. Bob, meanwhile, had stationed himself by the engine-room hatchway, and was contemplating with rapt attention the almost human-like movements of the machinery below.