er-ry good," and he pulls the cane out of the sand, lunges
at the air, comes to a present, and says: "I salute you, sir." And I
said: "And I al-so salute you, senor." And he says: "Americano?" And I
said: "You betcher." And he said: "Of course. Ver-ry good. I have been
one time in your country. I have studied the langooage there, yes.
Ver-ry fine, ver-ry fine. All American people ver-ry fine. All heroes.
Yes, yes, I think so. I have read it also in your books. But par-don,
sir, what is it you do now?"

And I said I wasn't doing anything except makin' up my mind whether I'd
go back to the navy or not, and if I did, how I'd get back.

"Ah-h, man-o'-war-man. I have thought so. You sail ship--navigate, yes?"
And I said I didn't know about navigatin', but I could sail a ship if I
had to.

"I have thought so," he says. "Listen, please. While you--compose, is it
not?--your brains, should you not wish to engage in privateerin'? It is
ver-ry good wonderful opportune time now for that, while the Blues are
in control and the Reds who are on the ocean know not of it."

"H'm, we kind o' lost the privateerin' habit in our country. How do you
do it these days?" I says.

"Oh-h, sir, ver-ry sim-ple, ver-ry. My friend he is in the Blue cabinet.
A fine man, yes. He shall make for me all the privateerin' documents I
shall require. It is necessary only to request respectfully of him. Then
we shall engage a small ship and you shall navigate her, and when we
shall perceive other ships, the same who shall display the Red flag, we
shall display suddenly a Blue flag on our ship and capture them."

"And loot 'em?"

"Par-don, sir," says he, "but what is that lootem?"

"Why, whatever's in the ships we capture. Don't we get everythin' we c'n
find in 'em?"

"Oh, sir, of a surely, abso-lutely. It is the article of war. But"--he
holds up a finger warnin'like--"as commander of the expedition I shall
reserve to myself one article of any kind which shall be captured. One
chest, one table, even"--he looked at me to see if I got this
part--"even one prisoner, if I shall so desire."

"Well, that's all right, too," I said; "for I s'pose you're payin' for
the outfittin' o' this expedition?" And he says he was. "Then it's a
go," I says; "for I don't see but I might 's well be privateerin' an'
pickin' up a little loose loot as lyin' around on the beach wonderin'
where my eats are comin' from f'r the next few weeks."

So he brings me around and shows