I caught my breath.
"But supposing He were on the watch?"
"He! Who?"
"Don't ask me; I'd rather not mention his name, being a female who abhors profanity."
All at once the captain's eyes began to sparkle as if he were just longing for a tussle with the evil one.
"Don't be afraid," says he, "I reckon we shall make the gate without much trouble. The blasting won't stop us yet awhile."
"Blasting?"
"Yes; they'll have the all-firedest upheave there, before long, that ever tore a hole in the bottom of the sea."
"Blasting! with fire and brimstone?"
"And nitro-glycerine," says he, as calm as skim milk.