d
`pebble powder' it was originally intended to be fired with, the force
of whose explosion would have been expended in the breech, which you
can't say is weak?"

"No," asserted the other, "the gun seems strong enough there."

"Well, that being the case," continued the young officer, "the gun might
have been fired as many times as you please with the heaviest charges of
that powder without its sustaining the slightest injury. Our wise
Ordnance people, however, having taken a fancy to a `slow combustion
powder,' whose force, instead of being expended in the breech, is
sustained throughout the whole length of the gun, as the particles of
powder ignite and expand, bethought themselves they would, for
cheapness' sake, use this `cocoa powder,' as it is called, without going
to the expense of building additional coils round their heavy guns to
enable them to resist the extra strain!"

"So this is the result," said the old Captain. "It's just like putting
new wine into old bottles!"

"Precisely," replied the lieutenant, joining in his laugh. "But, don't
you feel hungry, Captain Dresser?"

"I do," he promptly rejoined. "This sea air give; one the very deuce of
an appetite; and I confess to feeling slightly peckish."

"So am I," said the other, leading the way to the nearest hatchway.
"Let us go down below and see what they've got for luncheon. Mind how
you step, it's all dark here, as they haven't fitted her up yet."

"That's plain enough as I can feel!" muttered the Captain in reply as he
stumbled against the projecting ledge of one of the watertight
bulkheads, knocking his shin. "These new-fashioned ships are all at
odds and ends, it seems to me, in their accommodation below. Give me
one of the old sort, where everything was really plain sailing and one
hadn't to dive down here and climb up there to get for'ard or aft!"

"Ah," rejoined the lieutenant, holding out a hand to guide him, "you'd
get used to it in time."

"Just as the eels do to skinning!" growled the Captain, rubbing his sore
shins. "I'd rather be excused the practice, though, on my part."

Bob sniggered at this; and, passing along a narrow dark passage, its
obscurity rather increased than diminished by the solitary illuminating
power of a single "dip" in a ship's lantern hung up against the side,
the lieutenant stopped the Captain from any further grumbling by
introducing him into the ward-room, which, being well lit up with little
electric la