"Never mind that, Martin," said I, seeing a shade of disappointment resting upon the child's features; "bring her up, and let us have a look at her." Thereupon, the man dived below into the forecastle, and presently reappeared, bearing in his hand the skeleton of a miniature yacht, about two and a half feet long, half planked down. My first sensation, when I set eyes on the model, was surprise at the dainty, delicate character of the workmanship exhibited in it, which was greatly increased when, upon taking it into my hands and more closely inspecting it, I had an opportunity of examining its lines. They were as nearly perfect as anything I had ever seen; in short, it was evident that, when finished, the model would be a faithful miniature reproduction of a crack racing yacht of the most approved form. "Why, Martin," said I, greatly pleased at this example of his skill, "this is excellent. Where in the world did you learn to model lines like these?" "Well, sir," explained Martin, "you see, I was five years in the yard of the Fifes at Fairlie, yacht buildin', before I shipped in the _Northern Queen_; and before that again I was more than three years with Summers and Payne, of Southampton; so I ought to know a little about the shape of a yacht, didn't I, sir?" "Assuredly you ought," said I; "and evidently you _do_, if one may judge by this." And I replaced the model in his hand, fully determined to regularly ship him if I could, now that I had seen what a handy, clever fellow he promised to be. For I may here tell the reader, in strict confidence, that there is nothing I more thoroughly enjoy than boat-sailing, and very few things that I more highly appreciate than a good model of a ship or boat. A few days after this I made the proposition to Martin that he should ship for the remainder of the voyage, offering him the same pay that I was giving our own carpenter; and he at once gladly assented. This arrangement, as will be _seen_ later on, was destined to lead to more important results than either of us at the moment anticipated.