An' til we came to the Dardanelles and had to wait to get our permit to pass, we never were within hail o' aught.

At first I inclined to slack off sail and beat about till the fog was lifted.

But whiles, I thocht that if the Deil was minded to get us into the Black Sea quick, he was like to do it whether we would or no.

If we had a quick voyage it would be no to our miscredit wi' the owners, or no hurt to our traffic, an' the Old Mon who had served his ain purpose wad be decently grateful to us for no hinderin' him." This mixture of simplicity and cunning, of superstition and commercial reasoning, aroused Van Helsing, who said, "Mine friend, that Devil is more clever than he is thought by some, and he know when he meet his match!" The skipper was not displeased with the compliment, and went on, "When we got past the Bosphorus the men began to grumble.

Some o' them, the Roumanians, came and asked me to heave overboard a big box which had been put on board by a queer lookin' old man just before we had started frae London.