o it.
Watching a favorable occasion to speak, he put in a word, as the excited
Bolt paused an instant to take breath.

"Signore," observed the vice-governatore, "all this may be very true;
but as coming from one who serves the Inglese, to one who is the servant
of their ally, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, it is quite as extraordinary
as it is uncalled for; and we will talk of other things. This lugger, on
board which you sail, is out of all question English, notwithstanding
what you tell us of the nation."

"Aye, _she_ is English," answered Ithuel, with a grim smile, "and a
pretty boat she is. But then it is no fault of hers, and what can't be
cured must be endured. A Guernsey craft, and a desperate goer, when she
wakes up and puts on her travelling boots."

"These mariners have a language of their own," remarked, Andrea to Vito
Viti, smiling as in consideration of Ithuel's nautical habits; "to you
and me, the idea of a vessel's using boots, neighbor, seems ridiculous;
but the seamen, in their imaginations, bestow all sorts of objects on
them. It is curious to hear them converse, good Vito; and now I am
dwelling here on our island, I have often thought of collecting a number
of their images, in order to aid in illustrating the sort of literature
that belongs to their calling. This idea of a lugger's putting on her
boots is quite heroic."

Now Vito Viti, though an Italian with so musical a name, was no poet,
but a man so very literal, withal, as to render him exceedingly matter
of fact in most of his notions. Accordingly, he saw no particular
beauty in the idea of a vessel's wearing boots; and, though much
accustomed to defer to the vice-governatore's superior knowledge and
more extensive reading, he had the courage, on this occasion, to put in
an objection to the probability of the circumstance mentioned.

"Signor Vice-governatore," he replied, "all is not gold that glitters.
Fine words sometimes cover poor thoughts, and, I take it, this is an
instance of what I mean. Long as I have lived in Porto Ferrajo, and that
is now quite fifty years, seeing that I was born here, and have been off
the island but four times in my life--and long, therefore, as I have
lived here, I never saw a vessel in the harbor that wore boots, or
even shoes."

"This is metaphorical, good Vito, and must be looked at in a poetical
point of view. Homer speaks of goddesses holding shields before their
favorite warriors; while Ariosto makes rats a