“No matter,” said Ruhet, “give her the starboard broadside. And be sure that you don’t hit her. I don’t want her spoiled. Give her fits! Skeer her so terribly that she’ll come up like a little man and shake hands with us. Then we’ll have her. And don’t be too dinked polite!” And the great admiral poked his elbow into the ribs of his great gunner and laughed. “My, but I am hungry!” he went on. “She may have a little luncheon aboard. Enough for one.” Wahr, just arrived on deck, haughtily gave Nicht the already given order to fire. But the impertinent, though accurate, Nicht said, “Our guns are not carrying that far, excellency,” ignoring Wahr for his superior. “What?” cried Ruhet, “you rump of a sacred cow! There is not a gun on this ship that will not shoot half a mile and kill at that, Wahr!” “Precisely, sire,” said Wahr, odiously. “Excellency, you must take my word or his,” cried the hot Nicht. “You cannot take both. One of us don’t know.” “Take your choice,” said Wahr to him. “The little ship is precisely a mile away,” said Nicht. “I have a good eye.” “Then,” snarled the cunning Wahr, “if that be true, your majesty”—he would call the admiral such things sometimes as if by mistake when he was about to ask for something—or wanted to puff his superior up with pride—“your majesty will be certain to accomplish what you wish—the skeering and not the destruction of the plaything.” “By the curry—Fire—we are leaving her behind!” The thirty-six guns spoke at the same moment with a noise which seemed to rend earth and sky—such was the practice of the gunners of the Tonans under the accurate and admirable Weiss Nicht. “Now, then,” cried the Wise One, leaping to the bulwarks, “we will see whether I am right—or Nicht.” V AND SHOOT TO MAKE HOLES The little boat had disappeared. “Aha!” cried Wahr, “aha!” and again “aha!” Weiss Nicht only turned to port and waited for the smoke to drift away. “But your dinked being right has lost me my toy. Dink you, Wahr.” From the port bow came the voice of Nicht. “Here is your toy, all O.K., sir.” True enough, there she was! “Wahr,” thundered Ruhet, “you are sailing this ship. What _are_ you doing to her? Have you got her on a pivot? How does she turn in a second without me knowing anything about it?” “Excellency, perhaps she has lost her rudder. I will have Weiswasser look. She certainly turns, as you say, without us knowing it.” But the truth is that Wahr was troubled in heart as he took the wheel that Weiswasser might go aft. For, unless the wind had changed suddenly, the ship could not have veered. He began to think of witchcraft. “Excellency,” said Weiss Nicht, who always had a better chance when Wahr was at the wheel or below, “our ship did not turn. That one dived under us.” “What!” roared Ruhet. “By the beard of a turnip, what do you take me for? Wahr, did you _hear_ that? Aha, ha, ha!”