n the bunk beneath. Dick, being a sailor, awoke with
all his senses completely about him; the occurrences of the previous
night came back to his memory in a flash, and even before he opened his
eyes he was fully aware that he was in the top berth of one of the
_Bolivia's_ cabins, and that it was the companion of his adventure who
was in the bunk beneath him.
The next thing of which he was aware was the perfect stillness of the
ship, the complete absence of that peculiar tremor due to the throb of
the engines and the beat of the propellers when a ship is under way; and
the thought that the _Bolivia_ was still "standing by" caused him to
open his eyes, rise up in his bunk, and peer through the open port at
his elbow. The picture which then presented itself to his gaze was that
of a brilliant morning, with a sky of turquoise blue faintly streaked
here and there with the merest suggestion of a few mares' tails, a sea
of sapphire blue wrinkling and sparkling under the softest imaginable
breathing of a westerly air of wind, the horizon obscured by a thin veil
of haze that seemed to be already melting in the warmth of the sun, a
great two-funnelled steamer lying motionless about a mile away, with a
film of smoke issuing from her funnels and "feathers" of steam trembling
at the top of her waste pipes, a whole flotilla of boats pulling slowly
and apparently aimlessly hither and thither, and a few masses of ice of
varying dimensions, from small fragments of a square foot in area to a
great berg fully sixty feet high, thinly dotting the surface of the sea.
Presently there came to Dick's ear the sound of a quietly spoken order
out on deck, followed by a subdued stir, accompanied by certain sounds
which the youngster's experience told him was the prelude to the
matutinal rite of scrubbing the decks, succeeded a few minutes later by
the gush and splash of water and the sound of scrubbing brushes
vigorously applied. Then the cabin door opened, and a steward entered
bearing on a tray two cups of steaming coffee and a plate of buttered
biscuits.
"Mornin', sir--mornin', gen'lemen both," remarked this functionary as a
stir in the bottom berth announced that his entry had awakened its
occupant. "Hope you've both slep' well and ain't feelin' none the worse
for last night's happenin's."
"Good morning, steward," answered Dick. "Thank you. Answering for
myself, I slept like a top, and am feeling A1 this morning. I see that
we ha
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