326 WHALING AND FISHING. 



"Paddy, can you steer?" asked the mate of him k 

 on the day we sailed. 



"Yes, sir," was Paddy's ready reply. 



No more questions were asked. But whon the 

 decks were cleared up, and the watches chosen 

 'Send the gentleman from Ireland to the wheel!' 

 sung out the captain. 



Accordingly, he took the wheel, and in less than 

 cwo minutes had the vessel all in the wind, sails 

 shivering, sheets slatting, and the spanker boom 

 nearly knocking him overboard. 



"I thought you could steer! " shrieked the skip- 

 per, in a rage, at the same time applying a rope's 

 end freely to Paddy's shoulders. 



" I thought so, too," submissively answered the 

 Irishman. 



"Do you know the compass, at all?" he was 

 asked, after we had once more got the ship upon 

 her course. 



"Yes, sir." 



" What's this point, then?" 



That's North." 



A Eight. Now what is this next to it?" 



To this there was no answer. Paddy had made 

 *,p his mind not to confess ignorance of anything, 

 And when he knew nothing, he wisely held hig 

 togue. 



After giving him a hearty cursing, the captain 

 gent him forward. Here he received from tho 

 sailors another series of curses, for shipping under 

 false pretences He bore it all in dogged silence, 



