little ashamed of his ignorance and reassured by hearing the "ghost"
talk.

"It surely did," was the reply, "and Sacho told me to answer your
bell and look after you. So I'm a-lookin' after you."

"I wish you wouldn't," protested Cap'n Bill. "I've no use fer--fer
ghostses, anyhow."

The strange sailor began to chuckle at hearing this, and his chuckle
was just like Cap'n Bill's chuckle, so full of merry humor that it
usually made everyone laugh with him.

"Who are you?" asked Trot, who was very curious and much surprised.

"I'm Cap'n Joe," was the reply. "Cap'n Joe Weedles, formerly o' the
brig 'Gladsome' an' now a slave o' Zog at the bottom o' the sea."

"J--J--Joe Wee-Weedles!" gasped Cap'n Bill, amazed. "Joe Weedles o'
the 'Gladsome'! Why, dash my eyes, mate, you must be my brother!"

"Are YOU Bill Weedles?" asked the other. And then he added, "But no,
you can't be. Bill wasn't no mermaid. He were a human critter like
myself."

"That's what I am," said Cap'n Bill hastily. "I'm a human critter,
too. I've jes' borrered this fish tail to swim with while I'm
visitin' the mermaids."

"Well, well," said Cap'n Joe in astonishment. "Who'd o' thought it!