"At this Finch stood up in a perfect fury. 'What the devil d'ye mean, sir,' said he, 'by dodging me about the decks in this fashion, with these infernally foolish questions of yours?' 'Oh, my fine fellow,' thought I, 'you shall settle with me for that.' 'Tornadoes never blow hereabouts, except off-shore, if you _must_ know, sir!' he rapped out, sticking his hands in his jacket-pockets as he said so, and taking a turn on the quarter-deck. 'That's quite a mistake, I assure you, sir!' said I, carried away with the spirit of the thing; 'I've seen the contrary fifty times over, and, from the look of the sky aloft just now, I'd bet----' Here I stopped, recollected myself, put the top of my cane in my mouth, and peered under the awning at the sea with my eyes half-shut, as sleepily as usual with my messmates the cadets. The chief officer, however, stepped back in surprise, eyed me sharply, and seemed struck with a sudden thought. 'Why, sir,' said he, rather anxiously, 'who may--what can _you_ know of the matter?' 'Pooh!' replied I, seeing some of the passengers were coming on deck, 'I'm only of an inquiring turn of mind! You seafaring persons, Mr Finch, think we can't get any of that kind of knowledge on land; but if you look into Johnson's Dictionary, why, you'll find the whole thing under the word Tornado: 'twas one of the pieces I'd to get by heart before they'd admit me into our yacht-club--along with Falconer's _Shipwreck_, you know!' 'Indeed!' said the mate, slowly, with a curl of his lip, and overhauling me from head to foot and up again; 'ah, indeed! That was the way, was it, sir?' I saw 'twas no use. I daresay he caught the twinkle in my eye; while Jacobs' face, behind him, was like the knocker on a door with trying to screw it tight over his quid, and stuffing the knot of his neckerchief in his mouth. "'Of course, sir,' answered I, letting my voice fall; 'and the long and the short of it is, Mr Finch, the sooner you get your ship out of this current the better! And what's more, sir, I daresay I could tell you _how_!'