"I do," agreed Stuart. "Go ahead." "Well, Sah, dis hyar brig _Nancy_, havin' stopped at Port-au-Prince, started on down de coast, when, strikin' a heavy blow, she los' her maintopmast. She was makin' for a little island, not far 'way, to make some repairs, when she was captured by H.M.S. _Sparrow_, a cutter belongin' to H.M.S. _Abergavenny_, de British flagship stationed at Port Royal. De _Sparrow_ was commanded by Lieutenant Hugh Wylie, and dis hyar Wylie sent her in with anoder prize, a Spanish one, to Port Royal. So, naterally, Wylie brings a suit for salvage against de _Nancy_, bein' an enemy vessel." "But where does the shark come in?" queried Stuart, growing impatient. "Jes' you wait a minute, Sah!" the negro responded, "I bring um in de shark pretty quick. De owners of de _Nancy_, dey come to court an' show papers that de _Nancy_ never was no 'Merican ship at all, an' dat Lieutenant Wylie, he make one great big mistake in capturin' dis hyar brig. "But, what you t'ink, Sah? Right at dat moment, up steps in de court-room, Lieutenant Fitton, of H.M.S. _Ferret_, another cutter belongin' to the _Abergavenny_ an' hands the judge some papers. "'Your Honor,' he says, 'these are the true papers of the brig _Nancy_. Those you have before you are false.' "'Where did you find these papers?' ask de judge. "'In the belly of a shark, My Lord,' answers Lieutenant Fitton, clear an' loud. "For de sake, Sah, dem Germans must ha' turn green! In de belly ob a shark, Yah, ha-ha!" And the steward roared in white-toothed laughter. "But how were they found there?" came the boy's next question. "Yes, Sah, I was jes' comin' to that. Dis hyar Fitton, wid one cutter, was a-cruisin' together wid Wylie, in de other cutter, when Wylie broke away to take de _Nancy_. "Bein' nigh breakfast time, Fitton signals to Wylie to come to breakfast. Wylie, he right busy wid _Nancy_ an' can't come right away. Fitton, fishin' while he waitin' for Wylie, catch a small shark. Dey cut him open, jes' to see what he got inside, an' dar, right smack in de belly, dey see a bundle o' papers. "'Hi!' says Fitton, 'dat somet'ing important!' and he keep de papers an' tow de shark to Port Royal." "I suppose," said Stuart, "the captain of the _Nancy_ must have thrown the papers overboard. But why should the shark swallow them? I know sharks will turn over and make ready to swallow most things, but they don't take them in, as a rule, unless they're eatable." "Yes, Sah, quite right, Sah, but dar was a reason. De papers, Sah, had been hidden in a pork barrel on board de _Nancy_, an' de shark must ha' t'ought dey smelt good. When Fitton showed dese hyar papers in court, de experts what were called in on de case said dat dere was grease on 'em what wouldn't come from no shark's stomach. No, Sah.