along a War of the Worlds, a tale about ships a-flyin' in the air, and I throwed that trash away, and says I, 'That's a danged sight crazier,' but, blister my boots, these hyuh submarines and them airjammers o' Hardy's, they done both come true. But I'll tell you some yarns of what I seen befo' that."
Whereupon, between puffs, Cap'n Buffum kept the audience rigid with interest for two full hours with some of his wildest experiences of the deep. Then followed an excursion to the turret and an explanation of the mechanism of the powerful revolving light. Then back to the room below they went for an inspection of his museum. This done, the host was in the midst of a recital of some of the most disastrous wrecks on the shoals of Cape Peril when Hardy turned up. With the greatest reluctance, the boys were prevailed upon to go, and then only with an understanding that they might come back again at the earliest possible opportunity.
