Frances, therefore, reached out, and taking her pet by the back of his neck, she pulled him in and set him down at her feet. For a moment the puppy struggled to jump out again, when a big fish, passing just under his nose, diverted his attention. Forgetting his fears, Periwinkle snapped at the fish, and, of course, banged his nose on the glass bottom of the boat, making himself sneeze with great gusto; after which, thinking that it was the fish that had banged him on the nose, he contented himself with barking at them when they glided under the boat. He was a very sensible puppy, considering that he was only stuffed with excelsior. As soon as he saw that they were all comfortably settled, the Admiral jumped to his feet, clapped his cocked hat on his head, gathered up the rope, and tucking the anchor under his arm, he stepped into the bows. "Eight bells!" he roared. At this command, the Crew hastily felt in all his pockets and brought out a number of little bells, which he rang one after the other. "That's only seven!" cried the Admiral. "Where's the other?" "You have it yourself," replied the Crew. "Oh, yes. So I have. Excuse me," said the Admiral, politely; and thereupon he took the eighth bell out of his pocket and rang that one, too. "Why do you ring eight bells?" asked Margaret. "I thought you'd like it," was the Admiral's unexpected reply. "Oh! Yes. Thank you very much. I do," said Margaret. "It's very pretty," added Frances. "Won't you ring them again?" "I'm afraid we can't," replied the Admiral, regretfully. "It's against the rules of the navy. We only ring eight bells once a day at mid-day, or, on occasions like this, once extra for a treat, so--Ah! Happy thought! How's the sun?" he shouted. "It's shining away like one o'clock," replied the Crew, touching his cap. "_Just_ like one o'clock?" inquired the Admiral in an insinuating tone. "Well," replied the Crew, evidently anxious to accommodate, "it's a good deal like twelve o'clock, too." "Good!" cried the Admiral, clapping his hands. "A poor excuse is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. We'll ring 'em again. Eight bells!" he roared, so loudly that it made his eyes water. So the Admiral and the Crew rang eight bells all over again, after which the Admiral threw his bell to the Crew, who very cleverly caught it and stuffed it into his pocket, and having gathered up the other seven bells and put them into his pockets, too, he laid his hands on the spokes of the wheel and waited for further orders. "How's her head?" cried the Admiral. "North, south, east, west," replied the Crew, with all the smartness of a man-o'-war's man. "Good!" shouted the Admiral. "Cast off!"