“‘It seems peaceable,’ whispers the fust mate, arter awhile.

“‘P’raps it ain’t hungry,’ ses the skipper.  ’We’d better not let it get peckish.  Try it with a loaf o’ bread.’

“The cook went below and fetched up half-a-dozen, an’ one o’ the chaps, plucking up courage, slung it over the side, an’ afore you could say ‘Jack Robinson’ the sarpint had woffled it up an’ was looking for more.  It stuck its head up and came close to the side just like the swans in Victoria Park, an’ it kept that game up until it had ‘ad ten loaves an’ a hunk o’ pork.

“‘I’m afraid we’re encouraging it,’ ses the skipper, looking at it as it swam alongside with an eye as big as a saucer cocked on the ship.

“‘P’raps it’ll go away soon if we don’t take no more notice of it,’ ses the mate.  ‘Just pretend it isn’t here.’

“Well, we did pretend as well as we could; but everybody hugged the port side o’ the ship, and was ready to bolt down below at the shortest notice; and at last, when the beast got craning its neck up over the side as though it was looking for something, we gave it some more grub.  We thought if we didn’t give it he might take it, and take it off the wrong shelf, so to speak.  But, as the mate said, it was encouraging it, and long arter it was dark we could hear it snorting and splashing behind us, until at last it ’ad such an effect on us the mate sent one o’ the chaps down to rouse the skipper.

“’I don’t think it’ll do no ‘arm,’ ses the skipper, peering over the side, and speaking as though he knew all about sea-sarpints and their ways.

“’S’pose it puts its ‘ead over the side and takes one o’ the men,’ ses the mate.

“‘Let me know at once,’ ses the skipper firmly; an’ he went below agin and left us.

“Well, I was jolly glad when eight bells struck, an’ I went below; an’ if ever I hoped anything I hoped that when I go up that ugly brute would have gone, but, instead o’ that, when I went on deck it was playing alongside like a kitten a’most, an’ one o’ the chaps told me as the skipper had been feeding it agin.

“‘It’s a wonderful animal,’ ses the skipper, ‘an’ there’s none of you now but has seen the sea-sarpint; but I forbid any man here to say a word about it when we get ashore.’

“‘Why not, sir?’ ses the second mate.

“‘Becos you wouldn’t be believed,’ said the skipper sternly.  ’You might all go ashore and kiss the Book an’ make affidavits an’ not a soul ’ud believe you.  The comic papers ’ud make fun of it, and the respectable papers ‘ud say it was seaweed or gulls.’

“Why not take it to New York with us?’ ses the fust mate suddenly.

“‘What?’ ses the skipper.

“‘Feed it every day,’ ses the mate, getting excited, ’and bait a couple of shark hooks and keep ’em ready, together with some wire rope.  Git ’im to foller us as far as he will, and then hook him.  We might git him in alive and show him at a sovereign a head.  Anyway, we can take in his carcase if we manage it properly.’