"Young man," said he, "I see that you can understand something of my talk." De Catinat nodded.
"I tell you then that I am a bad man to beat.

Any man that was ever shipmates with me would tell you as much.

I just jam my helm and keep my course as long as God will let me.

D'ye see ?" De Catinat again nodded, though in truth the seaman's metaphors left him with but a very general sense of his meaning.
"We're comin' abreast of that there town, and in ten minutes we shall know if there is any trouble waiting for us.

But I'll tell you a story as we go that'll show you what kind o' man you've shipped with.