A bump on the head woke him up. It was still terribly dark.
    "Ow," he said.
    "Who said Ow?" a gruff voice asked from the darkness.
    "I said it," Billy said.
    "And who might I be?" the voice asked back.
    "I don't know who you might be but my name in William Frederick Harper of the Harpswell Harpers. But everyone calls me Billy.."
    "And what is it you are doing out here in the middle of ocean all alone, Billy?"
    "Well," said Billy, "I was just taking a nap, that's all."
    "Terribly sorry," the voice said, "I'll just be on my way then and let you get back to sleep."
    "No, wait!" Billy said still not knowing to whom he was speaking, "if it's at all possible, is there anyway you could rescue me?"
    "Are you need in rescuing?" the voice said
    "Oh yes," said Billy, "I have to get to school in Europe and it's a very long way to swim."
    "Very well then," the voice said, "swim towards this light" Out of the pitch black darkness a not so unbelievably bright light appeared and Billy expertly swam towards it.
    When he got close, he could see that the light came from a flashlight which was held by a scrawny old man in a small row boat. "Come on, now, make it quick and don't sink us both trying to get in," the spindly man said.
Billy fell exhausted onto the back seat. "It's a good thing you came along," Billy said, "I don't think I could have made it all the way to Europe."
    "Ah," the spindly man said, "That's not so far. I myself have swum around the world twice."
    "Really?" said Billy skeptically.
    "But , of course," the man said. "After all, I am the great Captain Bunting, the fastest Trans-oceanic swimmer in the world and currently the fiercest pirate in the North Atlantic sea... perhaps you have heard of me?"
    "Sorry, I haven't," Billy said, "but I'm not as knowledgeable of famous pirates as I should be. But I am very good at math."
    "I see," Captain Bunting said and then to test him quickly asked, "What's nine times a hundred and fourteen?"
    "One thousand twenty six," said Billy.
    "That's pretty good," the captain said, "and what is the square root of 529?"
    "Twenty three," answered Billy.
    "Not bad," conceded the Captain. "but do you know what is the circumference of a circle whose diameter is 15 inches?"
Billy had to think about this for moment (he always had trouble with pi,) "ah, forty seven point ... one?"
    "Right again," the captain said. "Very good. Very good indeed. Perhaps we'll get some use out of you then."
    "Thank you, " Billy said. "Are we likely to eat soon?" Geometry always made him hungry.
"I have some dried fish, if you'd like," the captain offered.
The idea of eating dry fish was not exactly what he had in mind, but his hunger was such that Billy gave it a try. It was not very good and extremely chewy.
When he had finally managed to chew the fish-jerky enough to swallow it, Billy asked, "May I ask what you are doing out here in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night in a small rowboat?"
    "Exercise, of course."