it can do them."

"Nor I," said the doctor, laughing, and Erik Hersebom translated several
sentences very correctly.

In one of the sentences, reference was made to the hemlock drunk by
Socrates, and Mr. Malarius asked the doctor to question him as to the
family which this plant belonged to.

Erik answered without hesitation "that it was one of the family of
umbelliferous plants," and described them in detail.

From botany they passed to geometry, and Erik demonstrated clearly a
theorem relative to the sum of the angles of a triangle.

The doctor became every moment more and more surprised.

"Let us have a little talk about geography," he said. "What sea is it
which bounds Scandinavia, Russia and Siberia on the north?"

"It is the Arctic Ocean."

"And what waters does this ocean communicate with?"

"The Atlantic on the west, and the Pacific on the east."

"Can you name two or three of the most important seaports on the
Pacific?"

"I can mention Yokohama, in Japan; Melbourne, in Australia; San