The third captain was a tall, well-looking, pompous man (he was the junior officer of the three), with a commanding and most unbending countenance:  “He would not ope his mouth in way of smile, though Nestor swore the jest was laughable.”

I had just time to finish my survey, and form a rough estimate of the qualities of my examiners, when I was put upon my trial by the president, who thus addressed me,

“You are perfect in the theory of navigation, I presume, Sir, or you would not come here?”

I replied, that I hoped I should be found so, if they would please to try me.

“Ready enough with his answer,” said the tall captain; “I daresay this fellow is jaw-master-general in the cockpit.—­Who did you serve your time with, Sir?”

I stated the different captains I had served with, particularly Lord Edward.

“Oh, ay, that’s enough; you must be a smart fellow, if you have served with Lord Edward.”

I understood the envious and sarcastic manner in which this was uttered, and prepared accordingly for an arduous campaign, quite sure that this man, who was no seaman, would have been too happy in turning back one of Lord Edward’s midshipmen.  Several problems were given to me, which I readily solved, and returned to them.  They examined my logs and certificates with much seeming scrutiny, and then ventured a question in the higher branches of mathematics.  This I also solved; but I found talent was not exactly what they wanted.  The little skinny captain seemed rather disappointed that he could not find fault with me.  A difficult problem in spherical trigonometry lay before them, carefully drawn out, and the result distinctly marked at the bottom; but this I was not, of course, permitted to see.  I soon answered the question; they compared my work with that which had been prepared for them; and as they did not exactly agree, I was told that I was wrong.  I was not disconcerted, and very deliberately looking over my work, I told them I could not discover any error, and was able to prove it by inspection, by Canon, by Gunter, or by figure.

“You think yourself a very clever fellow, I dare say,” said the little fat captain.

“A second Euclid!” said the tall captain.  “Pray, Sir, do you know the meaning of ‘Pons Asinorum?’”

“Bridge of Asses, Sir,” said I, staring him full in the face, with a smile under the skin.

Now it was very clear to me that the little fat captain had never heard of the Asses Bridge before, and therefore supposed I was quizzing the tall captain, who, from having been what we used to term a “harbour-duty man” all his life, had heard of the Pons Asinorum, but did not know which of the problems of Euclid it was, nor how it was applicable to navigation.  The fat captain, therefore burst into a horse laugh, saying, “I think he hits you hard; you had better let him alone:  he will puzzle you presently.”