Tom, feeling more than ever uncertain of his ground, hastily endeavored to regain his lost prestige by saying:
“Ter be sure I knowed it, but I jest wanted ter be sure as how ye knowed it.”
“That’s a leetle too thin, Tom, but we’ll let it go if ye kin give me the rason,” Cap’n Seth declared, with a sly wink at the boys.
“Sure and that’s aisy,” he declared, after a moment’s deep thought. “It was because the blamed critters were too tall fer the ark, of course.”
“Too tall yer eye,” the captain snorted. “Ye got ter do better’n that or go ter the foot o’ the class.”
Tom, seeing that his answer had failed to satisfy and none too sure of his ground in his own mind, scratched his head for several moments in deep thought. Finally he said:
“It’s meself thot’ll bet a good five cent cigar thot thot ere question ain’t answered at all in the Bible.”
“An’ I’ll take the bet,” Cap’n Seth quickly replied. “An’ we leave it ter Bob ter say who wins.”
“Right ye are. Jest a minute and I’ll git me Bible,” Tom said, starting toward the bedroom which opened out of the office.
“Port yer helm there,” the captain shouted. “We don’t need nary Bible ter settle this bet.”