from our lessons, but that it might be understood that we had gone
solely in search of adventure, like sea-captains or any other grown-up
travellers.

All Fred's tales now began with the word "suppose." They were not
stories of what had happened to his grandfather, but of what might
happen to us. The half-holiday that Mr. Johnson's hay was carted we
sat behind the farthest haycock all the afternoon with an old atlas on
our knees, and Fred "supposed" till my brain whirled to think of all
that was coming on us. "Suppose we get on board a vessel bound for
Singapore, and hide behind some old casks--" he would say, coasting
strange continents with his stumpy little forefinger, as recklessly as
the captain himself; on which of course I asked, "What is Singapore
like?" which enabled Fred to close the atlas and lie back among the
hay and say whatever he could think of and I could believe.

Meanwhile we saved up our pocket-money and put it in a canvas bag, as
being sailor-like. Most of the money was Fred's, but he was very
generous about this, and said I was to take care of it as I was more
managing than he. And we practised tree-climbing to be ready for the
masts, and ate earth-nuts to learn to live upon roots in case we were
thrown upon a desert island. Of course we did not give up our proper
meals, as we were not obliged to yet, and I sometimes felt rather
doubtful about how we should feel living upon nothing but roots for
breakfast, dinner, and tea. However, I had observed that whenever the
captain was wrecked a barrel of biscuits went ashore soon afterwards,
and I hoped it might always be so in wrecks, for biscuits go a long
way, especially sailors' biscuits, which are large.

I made a kind of handbook for adventure-seekers, too, in an old