"There was a nasty wind blowing all night, and the fool of a captain seemed to add to our peril by every order he gave." "You are alone, then ?" "I have a friend with me," was the answer.
"And how many of the crew are there ?" "Sixteen, all told." "English, I suppose ?" "Not all.

I find French and Italians are more sober than English, and better behaved in port." I examined him critically as he sat facing me, and the mere fact of his desire to send thanks to the authorities convinced me that he was a well-bred gentleman.

He was about forty-five, with a merry round, good-natured face, red with the southern sun, blue eyes, and a short fair beard.

His countenance was essentially that of a man devoted to open-air sport, for it was slightly furrowed and weather-beaten as a true yachtsman's should be.

His speech was refined and cultivated, and as we chatted he gave me the impression that as an enthusiastic lover of the sea, he had cruised the Mediterranean many times from Gibraltar up to Smyrna.