“That’s all nonsense,” said Demosthenes.  “The House Committee had provided enough supper for six hundred people, in anticipation of the appetite of the members on their return from the fight.”

“Of course they did,” said Confucius; “and it was a good one, too—­salads, salmon glace, lobsters—­every blessed thing a man can’t get at home we had; and what is more, they’d been delivered on board.  I saw to that before I went up the river.”

“Then,” moaned Kidd, “it is as I suspected.  We were the victims of base treachery on the part of those women.”

“Treachery?  Well, I like that.  Call it reciprocity,” said Hamlet, dryly.

“We were informed by the ladies that there was nothing for supper save the items I have already referred to,” said Kidd.  “I see it all now.  We had tried to make them comfortable, and I put myself to some considerable personal inconvenience to make them easy in their minds, but they were ungrateful.”

“Whatever induced you to take ’em along with you?” asked Socrates.

“We didn’t want them,” said Kidd.  “We didn’t know they were on board until it was too late to turn back.  They’d broken in, and were having the club all to themselves in your absence.”

“It served you good and right,” said Socrates, with a laugh.  “Next time you try to take things that don’t belong to you, maybe you’ll be a trifle more careful as to whose property you confiscate.”

“But the House-boat—­you haven’t told us how you lost her,” put in Raleigh, impatiently.

“Well, it was this way,” said Kidd.  “When, in response to our polite request for supper, the ladies said there was nothing to eat on board, something had to be done, for we were all as hungry as bears, and we decided to go ashore at the first port and provision.  Unfortunately the crew got restive, and when this floating frying-pan loomed into view, to keep them good-natured we decided to land and see if we could beg, borrow, or steal some supplies.  We had to.  Observations taken with the sextant showed that there was no port within five hundred miles; the island looked as if it might be inhabited at least by goats, and ashore we went, every man of us, leaving the House-boat safely anchored in the harbor.  At first we didn’t mind the heat, and we hunted and hunted and hunted; but after three or four hours I began to notice that three of my sailors were shrivelling up, and Conrad began to act as if he were daft.  Hawkins burst right before my eyes.  Then Abeuchapeta got prismatic around the eyes and began to fade, and I noticed a slight iridescence about myself; and as for Morgan, he had the misfortune to lie down to take a nap in the sun, and when he waked up, his whole right side had evaporated.  Then we saw what the trouble was.  We’d struck this lava island, and were gradually succumbing to its intense heat.  We rushed madly back to the harbor to embark; and our ship, gentlemen, and your House-boat, was slowly but surely disappearing over the horizon, and flying from the flag-staff at the fore were signals of farewell, with an unfeeling P.S. below to this effect:  ‘Don’t wait up for us.  We may not be back until late.’”