It is a strange quality in dogs which I have often observed before." "Have ye, capting?
Sure I thought it was all owin' to the bad manners o' that baste Dumps, which is for iver leadin' the other dogs into mischief." "Supper's ready, sir," said Mivins, coming up the hatchway, and touching his cap.
"Look here, Mivins," said O'Riley, as the captain went below, "can you point out the mornin' star to me, lad ?" "The morning star ?" said Mivins slowly, as he thrust his hands into the breast of his jumper, and gazed upwards into the dark sky, where the starry host blazed in Arctic majesty.

"No, _h_of course, I can't.

Why, don't you know that there _h_ain't no _morning_ star when it's _night_ all round ?" "Faix ye're right.

I niver thought o' that." Mivins was evidently a little puffed up with a feeling of satisfaction at the clever way in which he had got out of the difficulty, without displaying his ignorance of astronomy, and was even venturing, in the pride of his heart, to make some speculative and startling assertions in regard to the "'eavenly bodies" generally, when Buzzby put his head up the hatchway.
"Hallo! messmates, wot's ado now?
Here's the supper awaitin', and the tea bilin' like blazes!" Mivins instantly dived down below, as the sailors express it; and we may remark, in passing, that the expression, in this particular case, was not inappropriate, for Mivins, as we have elsewhere said, was remarkably agile and supple, and gave beholders a sort of impression that he went head-foremost at everything.

O'Riley followed at a more reasonable rate, and in a few minutes the crew of the _Dolphin_ were seated at supper in the cabin, eating with as much zest, and laughing and chatting as blithely, as if they were floating calmly on their ocean home in temperate climes.