Page:Barbour--For the freedom from the seas.djvu/255

 yond those again was a country called Canada, inhabited by Younger Sons. He surprised Nelson one day by asking him if he had Indian blood in him, and was palpably disappointed when Nelson said no. At first Nelson dubbed his new acquaintance "a cheerful idiot," but it didn't take long to find that while Tip was undoubtedly cheerful he was far from being an idiot. Tip had plenty of money and was happiest when spending it. A "jolly good feed" was his favorite extravagance, and Nelson was frequently his guest. Had Tip had his way Nelson would have been entertained in the little hotel he had discovered, at every meal ashore, but Nelson had to refuse many times when he wanted very much to accept simply because he didn't care to be in the other's debt too greatly. On thirty-six dollars a month, which was his present pay as a seaman gunner, he couldn't play host very frequently. One day he went out in a very smart little gig to the Sans Souci and was shown that diminutive "warship."

The Sans Souci had once been a rather luxurious cruising yacht, but luxuries had been shorn away with a stern hand until now she was little more than a hull accommodating engine and bunks, with a small rapid-fire gun mounted on the bow. In length she was just over the dimension of the 230