"I don't think they ought to have, as he came back." "No, I don't think they did," replied Mrs Gilmour.

"But, my dear, I think I've told you enough now of the castle and all belonging to it, and must really stop, for it's time for us to be going back." "Indeed we must, ma'am," said the Captain, "that is, if we're going over the Victualling Yard." "What, more sight-seeing!" exclaimed Mrs Strong in a voice of despair.
"Can't you let us off doing any more to-day ?" "Well, ma'am," pleaded the Captain apologetically, "only just one place more and you will then have `killed all the lions'; that is, all save the Dockyard, which Master Bob will have to tell you about." "Do let us go, mamma! I do so want to see them making the biscuits.
They do it all by machinery, just fancy!" said Nellie coaxingly.

"Do, let us go, please, won't you ?" "Do, please," also pleaded Bob, "it will be so very jolly!" "I suppose I must give in," sighed his mother.

"Oh, Captain Dresser, Captain Dresser, you have a good deal to answer for!" The old sailor only chuckled in response; and, giving the necessary orders to the boatmen, the wherry, which had come down rapidly from Porchester, the tide having turned and being now on the ebb, was pulled in to the Gosport shore, its passengers landing at Clarence Yard, the great food depot of the Navy.
Here they saw all that was to be seen, gazing with wonder at the vast stores of things eatable accumulated for the service of the fleet--Bob and Miss Nell being particularly interested in the bread-factory and bakery, where the attendant who showed them over the place completed their satisfaction by filling their respective pockets with the curious hexagonal-shaped biscuits there made, "thus provisioning them," as the Captain said, "for the remainder of their stay." They crossed back from Gosport to Portsmouth by the floating bridge, which, of course, Bob wanted to know all about, the Captain explaining to him how it was fixed on two chains passing through the vessel and moored on either shore, so as to prevent the "bridge" from being swayed by the action of the tide, which runs very strongly in and out of the harbour at the point of its passage.
"But how does the bridge move ?" asked the inquiring Bob, full of questions as usual.

"I can't see how it can, if it be chained up like Rover!" "There is a steam-engine in the centre of the vessel, as you can see for yourself, there," replied the Captain, pointing to the funnels that bore out his statement.