"Well, I might think of one," said the captain. "I'll ask you this: What is the longest word in the world?"
"If I had a dictionary here maybe I could find it," said Russ.
"You don't need a dictionary for this," went on the seaman. "I think I'll have to tell you. The longest word is smiles."
"Why, that's only a little, short word," said Rose, smiling herself.
"But isn't there a mile between the first and the last letter?" Captain Blake asked. "You see, first there is a letter S. Then comes the word mile, and then there's the last S—a mile between the two, and I call that a very long word."
"Oh, how funny!" laughed Rose. "That's a good riddle."
"And I know another," said Laddie. "What is it that's got only one eye and carries a long train in it?"
"What is it that has only one eye and carries a long train in it?" repeated the captain. "Do you mean a train of cars?"
"No, I mean a long train—like that on a lady's dress," Laddie explained. "It's a needle!" he said quickly, before any one had time to guess. "A needle has one eye and when there is thread in the eye the thread makes a long train."
"Ha! Ha! That's pretty good!" laughed the captain. Then he told more stories, and the sailor with him sang some jolly sea songs and the six little Bunkers were having a fine time.