Part 21 (1/2)

”Ever hear of Magellan, Greenie?” he continued, looking at poor Jill.

He often called Jill ”Greenie,” which he said was a pet name.

Now Jill and I knew all the history of the great navigator of ancient times. Our Aunt Serapheema took good care of that.

”Magellan? let me see,” said Jill. ”Oh yes, there used to be a Magellan who kept a draper's shop in Upper High Street.”

”Well,” said Peter, ”that is true enough, but I hardly think that is the man. However, I've been through the straits before.”

”Do they charge anything for letting you through,” said Jill, quietly.

Peter laughed till he had to wriggle about in all directions. ”I tell you what it is, Greenie, you'll be the death of me some day. Well, we shall touch at the Land of the Giants.”

”Are there really giants?”

”I'm not going to spin any yarn from personal experience, child, because I can't to any extent. But our bo's'n told me it _was_ a land of giants. There are giant plains--they call them pampas--giant lakes and rivers, giant hills and forests--awful in their gloom--giant men and women, giant c.o.c.ks and hens--”

”Yes, the ostriches.”

”And the whole is defended round the coast by giant cliffs, alive with giant birds; but we'll see for ourselves in a day or two, Greenie, if you'll only whistle for the wind.”

”If it comes.”

”Yes, _if_ it comes.”

That same night in the first watch, which happened to be Peter's, we told, or rather _I_ told, him all I knew of Mattie's history.

He was silent for some time afterwards, leaning quietly over the weather bulwarks, watching the phosph.o.r.escence in the sea. That was a glorious sight indeed, but Peter was not thinking about that at all. ”Did it ever occur to you, Jack,” he said at length, ”that this Adriano whom you so befriended--”

”Who so befriended us.”

”--Might be one of the sailors saved from the wreck? might be even Mattie's father?”

”No, no, no,” I cried, ”not that, Peter. It certainly was unaccountable that when she first saw Adriano she seemed to recognise him, but remember that she could have been little over a year old when the s.h.i.+pwreck occurred. Besides, I wouldn't like to think of Adriano, friend and all as he must always rest in my memory, being Mattie's father.”

”Liking has nothing to do with it one way or another.”

”No, certainly not.”

”a.s.suredly not,” from Jill.

”But,” I insisted, ”the two s.h.i.+pwrecked sailors a.s.sured Nancy Gray that the lady's husband had not been on board.”

”Jack,” said Peter, ”you're a capital sailor, but you would have made but a poor lawyer. Depend upon it there are wheels within wheels in the mystery that surrounds poor Mattie.”

”It will be all the better if it is never cleared up,” I said firmly, ”and I hope it won't be--there!”

”Well, I think otherwise. But one of the two men told the clergyman something. Do you know what that was?”

”No, and it didn't seem to signify.”