"Why," said Mara, her eyes staring with excitement, "that was just like this shipwreck; and 'twas Ariel made those balls of fire; he says so; he said he 'flamed amazement' all over the ship." "I've heard Miss Roxy tell about witches that made storms," said Sally. The Captain leisurely proceeded to open the clams, separating from the shells the contents, which he threw into a pan, meanwhile placing a black pot over the fire in which he had previously arranged certain slices of salt pork, which soon began frizzling in the heat. "Now, Sally, you peel them potatoes, and mind you slice 'em thin," he said, and Sally soon was busy with her work. "Yes," said the Captain, going on with his part of the arrangement, "there was old Polly Twitchell, that lived in that ar old tumble-down house on Mure P'int; people used to say she brewed storms, and went to sea in a sieve." "Went in a sieve!" said both children; "why a sieve wouldn't swim!" "No more it wouldn't, in any Christian way," said the Captain; "but that was to show what a great witch she was." "But this was a good enchanter," said Mara, "and he did it all by a book and a rod." "Yes, yes," said the Captain; "that ar's the gen'l way magicians do, ever since Moses's time in Egypt. 'Member once I was to Alexandria, in Egypt, and I saw a magician there that could jist see everything you ever did in your life in a drop of ink that he held in his hand." "He could, father!" "To be sure he could! told me all about the old folks at home; and described our house as natural as if he'd a-been there. He used to carry snakes round with him,--a kind so p'ison that it was certain death to have 'em bite you; but he played with 'em as if they was kittens." "Well," said Mara, "my enchanter was a king; and when he got through all he wanted, and got his daughter married to the beautiful young prince, he said he would break his staff, and deeper than plummet sounded he would bury his book." "It was pretty much the best thing he could do," said the Captain, "because the Bible is agin such things." "Is it?" said Mara; "why, he was a real good man." "Oh, well, you know, we all on us does what ain't quite right sometimes, when we gets pushed up," said the Captain, who now began arranging the clams and sliced potatoes in alternate layers with sea-biscuit, strewing in salt and pepper as he went on; and, in a few moments, a smell, fragrant to hungry senses, began to steam upward, and Sally began washing and preparing some mammoth clam-shells, to serve as ladles and plates for the future chowder. Mara, who sat with her morsel of a book in her lap, seemed deeply pondering the past conversation. At last she said, "What did you mean by saying you'd seen 'em act that at a theatre?" "Why, they make it all seem real; and they have a shipwreck, and you see it all jist right afore your eyes." "And the Enchanter, and Ariel, and Caliban, and all?" said Mara. "Yes, all on't,--plain as printing."