"Thank you, Captain Vavassour," answered the first luff, flushing with pleasure at the skipper's praise.  "I feel intensely gratified at your appreciation.  But you really make too much of it, sir; it is not I to whom the merit actually belongs, but to the ship herself--she works as handily as a little boat; and I had such perfect confidence in her that I really longed to try the experiment; although I grant you that I do not know another ship with which I should care to make the same attempt under similar conditions."