We are introduced to a character called the Oracle. How did he earn this moniker? How do Twain and his shipmates feel about this man?

Twain becomes close friends with the Oracle, so named because of his penchant for babbling on about things with a healthy dose of misinformation. The Oracle tends to grate on Twain's nerves when he begins his famous babbling, and his other shipmates feel pretty much the same way. However, he seems a most amiable fellow other than for his tendency to be a know-it-all.