He was irregular even in playing, which was after all his chief pastime.

Possibly he knew of reasons why it should be good to gamble on one day and not upon another.

Then he had his fits of amateur seamanship, when he would insist upon taking the tiller from Ruggiero's hand.

The latter, on such occasions, remained perched upon the stern in case of an emergency.

San Miniato was a thorough landsman and never understood why the wind always seemed to change, or die away, or do something unexpected so soon as he began to steer the boat.