"You see, Moses," she said, volubly, "father saw mermen and mermaids a plenty of them in the West Indies."
"Oh, never mind about 'em now," said Captain Kittridge, looking at Mr. Sewell's corner.
"Why not, father? mother isn't here," said Sally, innocently.
A smile passed round the faces of the company, and Mr. Sewell said, "Come, Captain, no modesty; we all know you have as good a faculty for telling a story as for making a fire."
"Do tell me what mermen are," said Moses.
"Wal'," said the Captain, sinking his voice confidentially, and hitching his chair a little around, "mermen and maids is a kind o' people that have their world jist like our'n, only it's down in the bottom of the sea, 'cause the bottom of the sea has its mountains and its valleys, and its trees and its bushes, and it stands to reason there should be people there too."
Moses opened his broad black eyes wider than usual, and looked absorbed attention.
"Tell 'em about how you saw 'em," said Sally.
"Wal', yes," said Captain Kittridge; "once when I was to the Bahamas,—it was one Sunday morning in June, the first Sunday in the month,—we cast anchor pretty nigh a reef of coral, and I was jist a-sittin' down to read my Bible, when up comes a merman over the side of the ship, all dressed as fine as any old beau that ever ye see, with cocked hat and silk stockings, and shoe-buckles, and his clothes were sea-green, and his shoe-buckles shone like diamonds."
"Do you suppose they were diamonds, really?" said Sally.