excerpt from the book..A gallant ship, some three feet in length, with full equipment of whitesails and sturdy masts, rigging, pennon, and figurehead; but it had neverseen the sea--never! It had "cast anchor" nearly a year before my storybegins in the Leslies' nursery--a very pleasant, airy room, with nicepictures on the wall and a good many toys scattered about, but certainlynot the very least resembling the sea. In fact, I don't think Mrs.Leslie would have liked if it had resembled it; for she was very muchafraid of the children being near a lake or a pond even, on account ofthe dangers of damp feet and catching cold--two evils which alwayshaunted her mind more or less. She was rather a delicate creature, oftenailing,--which, perhaps, was the reason of these nervous fancies; andmost of the children resembled their mother in this, that there was sureto be something the matter with one or other of them most days of theweek. The doctor was seldom long out of the house. Fortunately, Dr.Hammond lived just next door, so he was easily sent for; and WalterHammond, the doctor's eldest boy, was Harry Leslie's dearest and mostintimate friend. The two boys were about eight years old, went to thesame school, spent most of their play-hours together, and intended bothto go to the sea together when they were old enough. For Harry Leslie,though he had never once seen the sea any more than his ship had done,had heard and read a great deal about sailor life and adventures, and hadinspired Walter with the same admiration for these as he himself felt.Besides, his uncle Jack, Mr. Leslie's brother, who had made the ship forhis little nephew, had often told him stories about the sea which hetreasured in his heart all the more, perhaps, because he was so oftenmured up by his nursery walls, or even in his little iron bed, on accountof colds, coughs, measles, chicken-pox, etc.