“'Hello!' I hails, comin' alongside.
“Billings sticks his head out from under the tinware.
“'Hi, pard!' says he. I noticed he hadn't called me 'Grace' nor 'Dewey' for a long spell. Hi, pard,' he says, gettin' to his feet, 'the old gal ain't hurt a hair. She'll be good as ever in a couple of hours. Then you and me can start for Orham.'
“'In HER?' says I.
“'Sure,' he says.
“'Not by a jugful!' says I, emphatic. 'I'll borrer a boat to get to Orham in, when I'm ready to go. You won't ketch me in that man killer again; and you can call me a coward all you want to!'
“'A coward?' says he. 'You a coward? And—Why, you was in that car all night!'
“'Oh!' I says. 'Last night was diff'rent. The thing was on water then, and when I've got enough water underneath me I know I'm safe.'
“'Safe!' he sings out. 'SAFE! Well, by—gosh! Pard, I hate to say it, but it's the Lord's truth—you had me doin' my “Now I lay me's”!'
“For a minute we looked at each other. Then says I, sort of thinkin' out loud, 'I cal'late,' I says, 'that whether a man's brave or not depends consider'ble on whether he's used to his latitude. It's all accordin'. It lays in the bringin' up, as the duck said when the hen tried to swim.'