Page:The Land of Wonders - O Conaire.pdf/14

 8 was very near drowning one of his crew one day when he woke and found the poor sailor trying to draw a cord no thicker than a fishingline between his beak of a nose and his chin. He had lost some teeth as well. His cheek was disfigured by a sword-cut. "By my word often did he terrify me when I was a lad," were the last words of my father when describing him long ago. He need not have been afraid of him, however. He was gentle with children and he would give sweets to the one who did not run away from him.

Perhaps it was because of this gentleness that his wife married him. Perhaps it was because of the fancy he had for her oat cakes. There is no telling now when both of them are dead.

But as for their children they were handsome and brave too—but if you are patient, my friends, you will become well acquainted with these two before I am finished.

One night the Captain and his wife were sitting together by the fireside. He was to depart at three o'clock on the following day. He had eaten the oat cakes and drunk the goat's milk with the drop of rum in it. I should say here that he used to put a good dash of strong rum into the goat's milk but not until he had eaten