"Come now, your thoughts, watchman; what were they like?" added Tempest.
"But your honor may be thinking I'm presuming——"
"No, no. Come, let us hear them."
"Well, your honor did call that harum-scarum boy, whose neck is likely to be lengthened, unless the good Lord forbid, a powder-monkey—ha, ha, ha!"
"Ha, ha, ha! So he is a powder-monkey," laughed Vernon, "and I have several more of them on my ship."
"Audacious monkeys!" said the watchman.
"No, powder-monkeys. Perhaps you do not understand——"
"Never mind, sir. I'd like to remember that name, and have a laugh at it many a time."
It was no use trying to explain to the watchman, so Vernon desisted and walked along by the side of the officer, threading the streets, which were but sparsely built up in those days, to the place where Bob was confined.
The lockup was near the Potomac, and not far from the then new navy yard.