_With marmalade he first began To tempt that bluff seafaring man, Then fed him all the afternoon With custard in a table-spoon._ _No mariner, however tough, Can thrive upon this kind of stuff; And Thompson soon appeared to be A feeble-minded child of three._ [Illustration] _He cried for cakes and lollipops; He played with dolls and humming-tops; He even ceased to roar "I'm blowed!" And shook a rattle, laughed, and crowed._ _When Parker saw the seamen gaze Upon the captain's cunning ways, Base envy thrilled him through and through. And he became a child of two._ _Now, Parker had in his employ A mate, two seamen, and a boy; The mate was fond as he could be Of babies, and he says, says he,--_ _"Why, messmates, as we're all agreed Sea-bathing is the thing they need, Let's drop these hinfants off the quarter!" (They did, in fourteen fathom water)._ --and here the story came abruptly to an end. Davy was quite distressed at this, particularly as the dreadful thought came into his mind that some babies do not know how to swim, and he was therefore very well satisfied when he saw that the old Sea-Dog had apparently changed his mind about going away, and was swaggering along toward him again. "If you please," said Davy, as the surly creature came within hearing distance,--"if you please, sir, were the two little captains drowned?" "Well, sticking, as it were, to the truth, they were not," replied the old Sea-Dog, very gruffly. "Then, why don't you say so in the story?" said Davy. Now, this was pretty bold of him, for old Sea-Dogs don't much like to have fault found with their verses, and this particular old Sea-Dog evidently did not like it at all, for, after staring at Davy for a moment, he began walking slowly around him in such a threatening manner that Davy, thinking that perhaps he meant to jump on him from behind, began also turning so as to keep his face always toward the Dog. Meanwhile, as you may well believe, he began to feel very sorry that he had said anything about the verses.