“If we only could?” said Bruce. “Why, captain, you don’t seem to know us! You think that we’re a parcel of helpless children.” “I only wish,” said Tom, “that I may never have anything worse to do than to stay in a place like this--a floating palace, where we feed on the fat of the land. When I think of Ilee Haute, I consider this a sort of Paradise.” “I think I have known worse places,” said Phil. “I could tell you of a burning forest, in comparison with which every other situation isn’t worth being mentioned. Why, boys, this is going to be a sort of picnic--a pleasure party.” “Captain,” said Arthur, “we are all settled here now. Each of us has his state-room. We’ve got plenty of provisions. We’ve made up our minds to spend a couple of weeks here at least. So you may as well knock under. While we’re aboard, it will be much better for you to go off, and try to get some sails, than to wander up and down, moping, day after day, with the Antelope alongside doing nothing.” “Sure, an it’s meself,” said Pat, “that would be willing to sail off in the Antelope single-handed, if Captain Corbet is afraid, only I’ll want one man to give a hand in navigatin, so I will.” “O, two could easily sail the Antelope,” said Bruce. “And what shall Solomon do?” asked Arthur. “Do?” said Bart. “Why, he’ll stay with us. What could we do without Solomon? We need him here more than anywhere else. Without him our life here would become flat and insipid. I could do the cooking once; but as a general thing, I should beg to be excused. Without Solomon we should not be able to eat.” ‘“Yes, yes,” said Captain Corbet, meditatively. “Thar’s no trouble about me an Wade navigatin the Antelope. We don’t want Solomon. He’ll be best here with youns. If I could only leave you--” “But that’s already settled,” said Bart, decisively. “You are going to leave us.” “Wal,” said Captain Corbet, “here we air, some-whar nigh onto fifty mile north of the Magdalen Islands. I steered doo north; an I don’t think we’ve made much of a muve since the calm began. Now, my idee is, that if we were to drop anchor here, this here craft would stay till I come back, an I know I could find her easy.” “Drop anchor? Of course,” said Bart. “I didn’t think of that. In fact, this was my only trouble--the possibility of drifting from this place. But if we were to drop anchor, why, of course it stands to reason that we shouldn’t move from this place; and so, of course, you could find us again, as you say, without any difficulty.” “Her anchors air all right,” said Captain Corbet. “I’ve seen em. There’s sixty fathom of chain if there’s an inch.” “Well, come now. We’d better drop anchor at once,” said Bart.