human
Ho! Ho! he laughed.
gpt
A foolish thing, this big canoe! A most foolish thing! The plaything of the wind! Wheresoever the wind goes, it goes too. No man who journeys therein may name the landing beach, for always he goes with the wind, and the wind goes everywhere, but no man knows where.
human
It is so, Opee-Kwan supplemented gravely.
gpt
With the wind the going is easy, but against the wind a man striveth hard; and for that they had no paddles these men on the big canoe did not strive at all.
human
Small need to strive, Nam-Bok cried angrily.
gpt
The schooner went likewise against the wind.
human
And what said you made the sch--sch--schooner go?
gpt
The wind,
human
Then the wind made the sch--sch--schooner go against the wind. Old Koogah dropped an open leer to Opee-Kwan, and, the laughter growing around him, continued:
gpt
The wind blows from the south and blows the schooner south. The wind blows against the wind. The wind blows one way and the other at the same time. It is very simple. We understand, Nam-Bok. We clearly understand.
human
Thou art a fool!
gpt
Truth falls from thy lips, Koogah answered meekly.
human
I was over-long in understanding, and the thing was simple.