I've sometimes had my doubts about three or four of our people's being Englishmen, after all." "There can be no certainty in these matters, unless one could carry a parish register for the whole kingdom in his ship, Captain Cuffe.

If they are not Englishmen, why do they not produce satisfactory proofs to show it?
That is but reasonable, you must allow, sir ?" "I don't know, Winchester; there are two sides to that question, too.
Suppose the King of Naples should seize you, here, ashore, and call on you to prove that you are not one of his subjects?
How would you go to work to make it out--no parish register being at hand ?" "Well, then, Captain Cuffe, if we are so very wrong, we had better give all these men up, at once--though one of them is the very best hand in the ship; I think it right to tell you that, sir." "There is a wide difference, sir, between giving a man up, and hanging him.

We are short-handed as it is, and cannot spare a single man.

I've been looking over your station bills, and they never appeared so feeble before.

We want eighteen or nineteen good seamen to make them respectable again; and though this Bolt is no great matter as a seaman, he can turn his hand to so many things, that he was as useful as the boatswain.