"I say, Melick, you're the most energetic fellah I ever saw. By Jove! you're the only one aboard that's busy. What are you doing?" "Paper boats," said Melick, in a business-like tone. "Paper boats! By Jove!" said Featherstone. "What for?" "I'm going to have a regatta," said Melick. "Anything to kill time, you know." "By Jove!" exclaimed Featherstone again, raising himself higher in his hammock, "that's not a bad idea. A wegatta! By Jove! glowious! glowious! I say, Oxenden, did you hear that?" "What do you mean by a regatta?" asked Oxenden, lazily. "Oh, I mean a race with these paper boats. We can bet on them, you know." At this Featherstone sat upright, with his legs dangling out of the hammock. "By Jove!" he exclaimed again. "Betting! So we can. Do you know, Melick, old chap, I think that's a wegular piece of inspiration. A wegatta! and we can bet on the best boat." "But there isn't any wind," said Oxenden. "Well, you know, that's the fun of it," said Melick, who went solemnly on as he spoke, folding his paper boats; "that's the fun of it. For you see if there was a wind we should be going on ourselves, and the regatta couldn't come off; but, as it is, the water is just right. You pick out your boat, and lay your bet on her to race to some given point." "A given point? But how can we find any?" "Oh, easily enough; something or anything--a bubble'll do, or we can pitch out a bit of wood." Upon this Featherstone descended from his perch, and came near to examine the proceedings, while the other two, eager to take advantage of the new excitement, soon joined him. By this time Melick had finished his paper boats. There were four of them, and they were made of different colors, namely, red, green, yellow, and white. "I'll put these in the water," said Melick, "and then we can lay our bets on them as we choose. But first let us see if there is anything that can be taken as a point of arrival. If there isn't anything, I can pitch out a bit of wood, in any direction which may seem best." Saying this, he went to the side, followed by the others, and all looked out carefully over the water. "There's a black speck out there," said Oxenden. "So there is," said Featherstone. "That'll do. I wonder what it is?" "Oh, a bit of timber," said Melick. "Probably the spar of some ship." "It don't look like a spar," said the doctor; "it's only a round spot, like the float of some net." "Oh, it's a spar," said Melick. "It's one end of it, the rest is under water." The spot thus chosen was a dark, circular object, about a hundred yards away, and certainly did look very much like the extremity of some spar, the rest of which was under water. Whatever it was, however, it served well enough for their present purpose, and no one took any further interest in it, except as the point toward which the paper boats should run in their eventful race.