"I don't care about seeing them," said Dolly. "Young officers are young men, I suppose. I understand them; what I don't know about, is the ship. Let us go on in this book, and see what we come to. 'Abaft—the hinder part of a ship'"——
"O Dolly!" cried Christina, "we have not time to go through everything in this way. You have not turned over one leaf yet Do get on a little."
"It is good it's a holiday," said Dolly, turning the leaf. "We have plenty of time. I like this book. 'Aboard,—the inside of a ship.' So when we go into the ship, we go aboard. That's it."
"Go on," urged Christina. "Here's 'Admiral.'"
"'An officer of first rank and command in the fleet.' There is a great deal here about the Admiral. I don't believe we shall see him. We'll look a little further."
Dolly presently was caught by the word "Anchor," and lost herself in the study of the paragraphs following, and the plate accompanying; after which she declared that she understood how a ship could be held by its anchor. Urged to go on again, she turned over more leaves, but got lost in the study of "boats;" then of "cannon;" then of the "captain's" office and duties; finally paused at the plate and description of a ship's deck.
"It's just the deck of a ship!" said Christina impatiently. "You will see it when we go on board the 'Achilles.'"
"I want to understand it."
"You can't."
"Are those guns?" said Dolly, pointing to a row of pieces delineated along the side of the deck.