THROUGH COOK'S STRAIT. 2gt

And Rick, what would he do? He fairly itched to help.

“ T’'ll be —be ‘ saxton’!”

“Sexton?” said Miss Wayland; “TI hope you don’t want to bury us.”

«“[—J will fix the cabin, you know, and —and —”

“Oh, yes,” said Uncle Nat, coming to Rick’s help; “you can fix
up the cabin and show the audience in, and so on.”

That day there appeared on the outside of the cabin this notice:

Antelope Guild.

A meeting will be held to-morrow afternoon, in the cabin, at three o’clock,
and a lecture will be given on Capt. Cook. Everybody cordially invited.
RaueH RoceErs, Secretary.

Underneath soon was seen this P. S. in another hand:
_ Seats provided for all. Rick Rocesrs, “Saxton.”

The ship was passing through Cook’s Strait. It was a breezy day
and the Antelope sprang from billow to billow, leaving a big print
of foam wherever her feet touched the sea. The passengers gathered
in the cabin, and the sailors were also invited to come. Jack Bobstay
was off duty and was shown to a “front seat” by the “saxton.” Siah
was there, and so was Bumble-bee, who had washed up the dinner
dishes in a hurry, and then spent a couple of hours bedecking himself.
He came in a swallow-tail coat, and wore an enormous white bosom,
“bearin’ down upon the company like a whole flock of white sea-gulls,”
Jack Bobstay said.

Rick, Ralph and Siah were ‘leaning over the edge of the table, their
eyes intently fastened on the captain. .

“Captain Cook!” said Uncle Nat, clearing his throat. “There are
two things about Capt. Cook that it is worth while to remember” (here |
Uncle Nat looked down into the shining eyes of the young auditors):
“One of the two things is that Capt. Cook rose from a humble place to