The steward merely grinned. His companion answered for him.

"Certainly you may," he said. "I'm a friend of one of the consignees,
and I'd be glad to show you the ship, if you like. Shall we begin with
the cabins?"

Captain Elisha, delighted with the opportunity, expressed his thanks,
and the tour of inspection began. The steward remained on deck, but the
captain and his new acquaintance strolled through the officers' quarters
together.

"Jerushy!" exclaimed the former, as he viewed the main cabin. "Say, you
could pretty nigh have a dance here, couldn't you? A small one. This
reminds me of the cabin aboard the Sea Gull, first vessel I went mate
of--it's so diff'rent. Aboard her we had to walk sittin' down. There
wa'n't room in the cabin for more'n one to stand up at a time. But she
could sail, just the same--and carry it, too. I've seen her off the Horn
with studdin' sails set, when craft twice her length and tonnage had
everything furled above the tops'l yard. Hi hum! you mustn't mind an old
salt runnin' on this way. I've been out of the pickle tub a good while,
but I cal'late the brine ain't all out of my system."

His guide's eyes snapped.

"I understand," he said, laughing. "I've never been at sea, on a long
voyage, in my life, but I can understand just how you feel. It's in
my blood, I guess. I come of a salt water line. My people were from
Belfast, Maine, and every man of them went to sea."

"Belfast, hey? They turned out some A No.1 sailors in Belfast. I sailed