onest, I fell off the ship. I
might have been going yet if----"

"That will do," commanded the officer in a stern voice. "Get off the
steamer's hood, and be quick about it!"

Sam slid down a stanchion, causing the small steamer to careen
dangerously. Two sailors grabbed him by the legs and hauled him
aboard, Hickey's head and shoulders being plunged into the sea as they
did so.

Sam came aboard choking, sputtering and threatening to thrash the whole
steamer's crew.

"Silence in steamer number one!" roared an officer.

"Aye, aye," answered Sam.

"You shut up!" ordered the coxswain. "Do you think you are running
this boat?"

"I nearly ran my head through the roof of the confounded thing,"
retorted Sam, wringing the water out of his red hair. "What's all this
row about, anyway? I don't see any fire or anything else worth getting
out of bed for at this time of night."

"Sam, is that you making all that noise?" questioned Dan Davis, from a
whaleboat that had pulled alongside.

"I don't know about the noise. I'm in steamer number one, if that's
what you mean."

"What happened to you?"

"I didn't change my mind this time, and I fell overboard, that's all."

"Did you fall in?"

"No, I fell on--and that's worse."

"On what?"

"I fell on top of the steamer. I was headed all right, but the steamer
got in my way. I'd have made a beauty dive into the salt sea if the
steamer hadn't got in the way. But what's all this ruction for?"

"It is a drill."

"A drill!" exclaimed Hickey in disgust.

"Yes."

"What kind of drill?"

"Abandoning ship."

"Pshaw, if I'd have known that I'd stayed in bed. The idea of a drill
in the middle of the night, and after I've rowed half way to Europe in
the racing gig. Who started this thing, anyway?"

"The admiral signaled all ships in the harbor to abandon ship. I
presume all of them are taking the time, and we shall see who succeeded
in getting away from their ship first."

"I'll bet I'd have broken the record if they had taken my time. That's
the only way to abandon ship in a hurry."

"How's that, Hickey?" questioned a shipmate.

"Head first," answered Sam.

"Return to ship," came the command. "Be lively there, men. This
counts on record, too. All boats to be hoisted aboard as they were."

The men piled over the side of the ship to the decks in fully as quick
time as they had left. In a very brief time the small boats were
emptied, excepting for the