"Well!" said Aunt Amanda. "Now ain't that just like you, Toby Littleback? I declare if your head wasn't fastened on you'd----" "Wery reprehensible," said Mr. Punch. "Wery." "My dear friends," said the Sly Old Codger, "let us not be disquieted on such a morning as this. Everything is so beautiful. _So_ beautiful! And without any expense whatever. It is a precious thought. How pleasant it is to hear the breeze blowing so gently among all the little capstans up there!" He took off his high silk hat and looked up among the sails with a rapt expression on his face, and all the others looked up too, trying to see the capstans fluttering in the breeze. "Look!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Why, there's Mr. Hanlon!" Far, far up, near the top of the second mast, was a white figure, standing on a rope under the topmost sail, and holding on with one hand and waving the other down at the passengers. Mr. Toby waved his white derby, and Mr. Hanlon began to come down. Freddie trembled with alarm, but Mr. Hanlon was obviously having the time of his life. He skipped swiftly along his dangerous perch, and sliding down and along the spars of wood that held the sails, and actually leaping from one to another, and tripping lightly down ladders of rope, while the whole top swayed dizzily from side to side, he at length came down on the deck with a bounce, and bowing to everybody shook Freddie by the hand. "Here comes the Able Seaman!" cried Toby. "And see what he's got on his wrist!" Mr. Lemuel Mizzen came rolling down the deck, and as he approached he took off his cap with his left hand and made a bow. On his right wrist was a blue and red parrot, who cocked his head sideways at the strangers, and then looked up inquiringly at the Able Seaman. "Good morning, all!" said Mr. Mizzen. "Glad to see the passengers come to life again! Nothing like the open sea, lady and gentlemen!" "Are you sure it's perfectly safe?" said Aunt Amanda. "Perfectly safe, ma'am. A tight little bark is The Sieve, provided the dippers hold out. Most of the men is below now, baling out the water with their dippers, and the ship ain't leaking more than ordinary--yet. Of course you never can tell what may happen, but there's plenty of dippers, unless we should founder in a storm, or split up on the rocks, or----" "Mercy on us!" cried Aunt Amanda. "I wish we hadn't come. If I only had some sewing with me." "Would you mend socks, ma'am?" "Oh, that would be lovely! And I could look after the men's shirts, too, and count the laundry when it comes home, and--I'm sure we are going to have a delightful voyage! I feel better already. I don't believe there's any danger after all. It's all nonsense about the ship's leaking." "Who's your f-f-f-friends, L-l-lem?" shrieked a voice from Mr. Mizzen's wrist. Everyone started, and looked in amazement at the parrot, whose head was perked sideways up at Mr. Mizzen's face. "L-l-lem!" shrieked the parrot, stuttering terribly. "Who's your f-f-f-friends?"