I had got somewhat acquainted with them on our trip from Savannah to St.Augustine, and now the captain let me come into his room and showed me the ship's course, marked out on a chart, and pointed out just where we were, besides telling me a good many things about the islands and these waters.
I mentioned to Corny and Rectus, when I went aft again,--this was the second day out,--that we should see one end of the Great Bahama early in the afternoon.
"I'm glad of that," said Corny; "but I suppose we sha'n't go near enough for us to see its calcareous formation." "Its what ?" I exclaimed.
"Its cal-car-e-ous formation," repeated Corny, and she went on with her reading.
"Oh!" said I, laughing, "I guess the calcareous part is all covered up with grass and plants,--at least it ought to be in a semi-tropical country.

But when we get to Nassau you can dig down and see what it's like." "Semi-tropical!" exclaimed Mr.Chipperton, who just came up; "there is something about that word that puts me all in a glow," and he rubbed his hands as if he smelt dinner.
Each of us wore a gray bean.

Rectus and I had ours fastened to our watch-guards, and Corny's hung to a string of beads she generally wore.
We formed ourselves into a society--Corny suggested it--which we called the "Association of the Three Gray Beans," the object of which was to save each other from drowning, and to perform similar serviceable acts, if circumstances should call for them.

We agreed to be very faithful, and, if Corny had tumbled overboard, I am sure that Rectus and I would have jumped in after her; but I am happy to say that she did nothing of the kind on this trip.
Early the next morning, we reached Nassau, the largest town in the Bahamas, on one of the smallest islands, and found it semi-tropical enough to suit even Mr.Chipperton.
Before we landed, we could see the white, shining streets and houses,--just as calcareous as they could be; the black negroes; the pea-green water in the harbor; the tall cocoa-nut trees, and about five million conch-shells, lying at the edges of the docks.

The colored people here live pretty much on the conch-fish, and when we heard that, it accounted for the shells.