“Hallo! what’s yon?” exclaimed Peter Grim, who was first to observe the woman.

“Dun’no’,” said Buzzby, halting; “it looks like a bear.”

“Faix an’ it is, then, it’s got a young wan on its back,” cried O’Riley.

“We had better advance and find out,” remarked West, as he led the way, while several of the men threw up their arms in token of their friendly intentions.  O’Riley capered somewhat extravagantly as he drew near, partly with the intention of expressing his feelings of good-will towards the unknown, and partly in order to relieve the excitement caused by the unexpected apparition.

These demonstrations, however, had the effect of terrifying the woman, who wheeled suddenly round and made off.

“Och! it is a man.  Hooray, boys! give chase.”

“Men don’t usually carry babies on their backs and tie their hair up into top-knots,” remarked Grim, as he darted past in pursuit.

A few seconds sufficed to enable Grim to overtake the woman, who fell on her knees the instant she felt the sailor’s heavy hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be afeard, we won’t hurt ye,” said Buzzby in a soothing tone, patting the woman on the head and raising her up.

“No, avic, we’s yer frinds; we’ll not harm a hair o’ yer beautiful head, we won’t.  Ah! then, it’s a swate child, it is, bless its fat face,” said O’Riley, stroking the baby’s head tenderly with his big hand.

It was with difficulty that the poor creature’s fears were calmed at first, but the genuine tenderness displayed by the men towards the baby, and the perfect complacency with which that conglomerate of dumplings received their caresses, soon relieved her mind, and she began to regard her captors with much curiosity, while they endeavoured by signs and words to converse with her.  Unfortunately Meetuck was not with the party, he having been left on board ship to assist in a general cleaning of the cabin that had been instituted that day.

“Sure, now, ye don’t know how to talk with a girl at all, ye don’t; let me try,” cried O’Riley, after several of the party had made numerous ineffectual attempts to convey their meaning.  “Listen to me, darlint, and don’t mind them stupid grampuses.  Where have ye comed from, now? tell me, dear, doo now.”

O’Riley accompanied the question with a smile of ineffable sweetness and a great deal of energetic pantomime, which, doubtless, explained much of his meaning to himself, but certainly to no one else.

“Ah! then, ye don’t understand me?  Well, well, now, isn’t that strange?  Look you, avic, have ye seen a brig or a brig’s crew anywhere betune this and the north pole?—­try, now, an’ remimber.”  He illustrated this question by holding up both arms straight above his head to represent the masts of a brig, and sticking his right leg straight out in front of him, to represent the bowsprit; but the woman gazed at him with an air