look on the other end of the glass," said Archer, dodging behind a
stanchion.

Tom, in bewilderment, obeyed, and pulled out a match-end.

"Tag; you're it," said Archer delightedly; "don't throw it away."

"Why not?" said Tom, laughing sheepishly.

"Because you have to wear it with a ribbon," said the irrepressible
Archer, fastening it to Tom's buttonhole with a piece of baby ribbon.
"You're easy, Slady!"

"I always was," said Tom.

"You should worry," laughed Walters. "They all have to stand for that."

When Tom got back to the wireless room, Cattell, the operator, looked at
the badge with a knowing smile.

"Stung, eh?" said he. "I thought you were on to Archer by this time."

"It's always easy to jolly me," said Tom.

"That's an old trick," said Cattell. "Don't you know we won't be in the
danger zone until Monday?"

"I never thought about that," said Tom.

"You're easy," laughed Cattell. "When we get into the Zone, you'll know
it."

And so Tom found, for early Monday morning, as he went along the deck on
his way to breakfast, he noticed several persons wearing life
preservers. They looked clumsy and ridiculous, and if the occasion had
been less serious even Tom's soberness must have yielded at their funny
appearance.

As he passed along he noticed members of the crew in the life-boats
removing the canvas covers, and as these were taken off he could see
that the boats were already stocked, each with a cask and a good-sized
wooden case. A member of the crew patrolled the rope rail which shut off
the guncrew's little domain, and no one could trespass there now. From a
distance Tom could see Billy Sunday fully revealed without any vestige
of canvas cover, and the boys in khaki scanning the waters in every
direction with their glasses. All day long this continued, and once or
twice when he met them hurrying along the deck they hardly recognized
him.

Cattell, calm as usual, sat all day at the instrument shelf with the
receivers on, and ate his luncheon there. Tom forsook his berth, where
he was wont to spend his spare time reading, and remained close to the
telephone where open connection was kept with the bridge.

It was a day of suspense. Ship's officers hurried back and forth with
serious faces and looks of grave responsibility. Twice through the day
the emergency drill was gone through, the boats occupied and vacated and
the tackle tested, to the dismal voice of the megaphone on the bridge.
And as n