"Yes, sir," said I, "provided, of course, that they don't try to bother me with `catch questions' of a kind that have no real bearing upon one's practical capabilities.  I have worked fairly hard from the moment when I first entered the service; my character will bear investigation; I am a pretty good seaman, I believe; and Mr Teasdale, our master aboard the _Shark_, was good enough to report to the sk-- to Captain Bentinck, only the other day, that I am a trustworthy navigator."