"I stand just fairly well in the theory of the thing.

But I've no real knack with a sextant." "Well, the sextant is only a hog-yoke," growled Dalzell.
"Yes; but I shiver every time I pick up the hog-yoke under the watchful gaze of an instructor." "Humph! Only yesterday I heard Lieutenant-Commander Richards compliment you for your work in nav." "Yes; but that was the mathematical end.

I'm all right on the paper end and the theoretical work, but it's the practical end that I'm afraid of." "You'll get plenty of the practical work as soon as you graduate and get to sea," Dan urged.
"Yes; and very likely make a chump of myself, like Digby, of last year's class.

Did you hear what he did in nav. ?" "No," replied Dalzell, looking up with real interest this times "If Digby made a fool of himself I'll be glad to hear about it, for Dig was always just a little bit too chesty to suit me." "Well, Dig wasn't a bit chesty the first day that he was ordered to shoot the sun," Dave laughed.

"Dig took the sextant, and made a prize shot, or thought he did.