"Ah donno, sah, Ah didn' saw dem, othahwise Ah could identify de pussons.
Have yo' any ideah as to deir pussonality you'se'f, sah?"

"I have an idea, but ideas can't hang a man. Anyhow, I don't want it to
get abroad that Jack Sheldon and I do not know how to tie up a boat or tie
any ordinary kind of knot. The whole Academy would laugh at us if that
notion got around."

"Ah reckon de 'cademy knows all abo't yo' an' Mistah Jack a'ready an' wha'
yo' done befo' dis," said the negro with a broad grin. "Ah reckon, too,
dat de story was a fabrication puah an' simple. Fact am, if Ah done tol' a
story lak dat folks would call it a lie witho't mincin' wo'ds."

"That's about what it was," said Percival, as he and Jack got into the
boat, and Bucephalus and Ben Bowline started to row them to the yacht.

"I had a comical adventure with a boat myself once, mateys, if you care to
hear it," said old Ben as he bent leisurely upon his oar, "but maybe the
young gentleman won't believe it."

"Go ahead, Ben, let's have it," spoke up Jack. "Never mind whether we
believe it or not. It will amuse us at any rate."

"A sailor man is a mo' pribileged pusson dan one what resides on sho',
Ah've noticed," observed Bucephalus. "Folks lak to listen to dem an' dey
don' call it lyin', whereas an' on de oder han', ef Ah indulge in any
picturesque adaptations o' de trufe dey say Ah'm lyin' right away."

"Never mind that," chuckled Percival. "There is no hurry and Ben wants to
spin his yarn, so you might as well let him. Take it easy. There is no