that black cock for the sacrifice. It was lordly enough to bring success
upon any enterprise.

In the meantime, as soon as his duties as model were over each morning,
he was out of the studio with a whoop and up the beach as hard as he
could run to the Huntingdon house. By the time he reached it he was no
longer the artist's only son, hedged about with many limitations which
belonged to that distinction. He was "Dare-devil Dick, the Dread
Destroyer," and Georgina was "Gory George, the Menace of the Main."

Together they commanded a brigantine of their own. Passers-by saw only an
old sailboat anchored at the deserted and rotting wharf up nearest the
breakwater. But the passers-by who saw only that failed to see either
Dare-devil Dick or Gory George. They saw, instead, two children whose
fierce mustachios were the streakings of a burnt match, whose massive
hoop ear-rings were the brass rings from a curtain pole, whose faithful
following of the acts of Captain Quelch and other piratical gentlemen was
only the mimicry of play.

But Barbara knew how real they were, from the spotted handkerchief tied
around the "bunged eye" of Dare-devil Dick, under his evil-looking slouch
hat, to the old horse pistol buckled to his belt. Gory George wore the
same. And Barbara knew what serious business it was to them, even more
serious than the affairs of eating and drinking.

Tippy scolded when she found that her half-pint bottles which she kept
especially for cream had been smuggled away in the hold of the
brigantine. But without bottles how could one give a realistic touch to
the singing of "Yo ho, and the rum below"?