Lieutenant Griffin spoke unusually good Italian for a foreigner, and his manner of proceeding was so straightforward and direct as to carry with it every appearance of truth.
"You do not know what I mean by ze Ving-y-Ving ?" demanded the vice-governatore, with emphasis.
"To be frank with you, I do not, Signore.

Ving-y-Ving is not English; nor do I know that it is Italian." Mr.Griffin lost a good deal of ground by this assertion, which implied a doubt of Andrea's knowledge of foreign tongues.
"You say, Signor Tenente, if I comprehend your meaning, that Ving-y-Ving is not English ?" "Indeed I do, sir; at least no English that I have ever heard spoken, at sea or ashore; and we seamen have a language of our own." "Will you, then, permit me to ask you what is the translation of _ala e ala_, word for word ?" The lieutenant paused a moment and pondered.

Then he laughed involuntarily, checking himself almost immediately with an air of respect and gravity.
"I believe I now understand you, Signor Vice-governatore," he said; "we have a sea-phrase something like this, to describe a fore-and-aft vessel with her sails swinging off on both sides; but _we_ call it wing-and-wing." "Si, Signore--ving-y-ving.

Such is the name of the lugger of your king that now lies in our bay." "Ah! we thought as much, Signori; the scoundrel has deceived you, as he has done a hundred before you, and will do a hundred again unless we catch him to-night.

The lugger is a celebrated French privateer, that we have six cruisers in chase of at this moment, our own ship included.