“Very gladly,” responded the other, “very gladly.  You seem a good sort, and you fought fair.  I’ll tell you the absolute truth.

“I came from England originally, and not from Arkansaw, as my friend supposes, although I don’t know where Arkansaw is, I’m sure.  I was long in the British Army, or Navy, I cawn’t remember which.  I’m quite sure it was one or the other, possibly both.”

“I wouldn’t kid too much, friend,” said Curly, warningly.

“I beg pardon?”

“Drop the foolishness!”

“You misunderstand me, I’m sure,” said the King of Gee-Whiz.  “At that time it was quite customary, indeed very fashionable, for young gentlemen to belong both to the Army and the Navy.  Now, I remember with perfect distinctness that I shipped before the mast on her Majesty’s submarine, the Equator.”

Uncle Jim drew a long breath.  “A submarine ain’t got no mast,” said he.  “It crawls, on the bottom of the ocean.”

“Don’t mind him, friend,” interrupted Curly.  “He come from the short-grass country of Kansas, and he don’t know a submarine from a muley cow.  Go on, King.”

“As I was saying,” continued the latter, somewhat annoyed, “I shipped before the mast on her Majesty’s submarine, the Equator, Captain Harry Oglethorpe commanding,—­a great friend of mine, and a very brave and clever fellow.  I knew him well before I got so deucedly down on my luck.  But what was I saying?”

“About submarines—­”

“Ah, yes, I remember; we left Portsmouth Harbor the 12th of August, 1357.  It seemed a gruelling hard thing to us to sail just on the opening of the shooting season, but the wuzzies were troubling a bit.

“One day, as Sir Harry and I were sitting on deck before the mast, having a cigarette—­”

“At the bottom of the sea—­on deck!” gasped Uncle Jim Brothers.

“Pray don’t interrupt me, or I’ll never get on,” chided the King of Gee-Whiz, politely.  “We were smoking, as I said, awfter dinner.  I was remarking to Sir Harry that we were having a very good voyage over, when, as he turned to reply, an orderly rode up to us and saluted.”

“Rode—­rode—­rode up!” murmured Curly.  “How could he?”

“Let him alone,” said Uncle Jim.  “Didn’t he say he couldn’t remember whether he was in the Army or the Navy?  The horse goes.”

“The orderly saluted,” resumed the King of Gee-Whiz, “and said he, ’I beg pardon, but the officer of the day presents his compliments, and begs to report that the ship’s a-fire, and upon the point of exploding.’

“Sir Harry looked at his watch.  ‘Thanks,’ said he.  ’Present my compliments to the officer of the day, and ask how long it will be before the explosion occurs.’

“‘I beg pardon,’ replied the orderly, ’but the officer of the day presents his compliments, and begs to say that the explosion will occur in about three minutes.’