mbling
about in such a furious manner."

"That was none of my business. I didn't ship before the mast,
consequently it ain't any duty of mine to go prowlin' 'round if the
wind happened to blow a little."

"If you call this a 'little' I wouldn't like to be on board when you
thought it was a regular gale," Teddy said with a laugh.

"I've seen the wind blow so hard that a fellow had to lash his hair down
to keep it from bein' carried away when he went on deck; but that didn't
stop my wantin' to get a watch below."

With this remark the steward, having finished his work, left the room,
and the boys were alone once more.

Although they had believed it would be impossible to sleep during a gale
such as the yacht was now laboring under, the eyes of both were soon
closed in slumber, not to be opened until late in the morning.

So far as could be told by the motion, there was no diminution in the
strength of the wind, and they experienced great difficulty in making
their toilets.

When this task had finally been accomplished, however, Neal said as he
opened the door after some trouble, owing to the erratic movements of
the yacht:

"I'm going on deck. It can't be much worse there, and it wouldn't be a
bad idea to see what the ocean looks like in a gale."

"I'll go too: but don't let's venture out of the companion-way, for the
waves must be making a clean sweep over the decks."

When the boys entered the cabin no one was to be seen save the surly
steward who visited them the night previous, and in reply to Neal's
question he said:

"Your father left word that he wasn't to be called. It wouldn't be much
use for him to turn out, because we can't set the table in such a
rumpus."

"What are we to do for breakfast?"

"The same as Mr. Walters did, get a cup of coffee and a hard-tack;
that'll go way ahead of nothin' if you're very hungry."

"We can go into the galley when we want a bite," Neal replied, and then
he led the way up the narrow stairs where, through the half-opened
hatch, it was possible to get a view of the raging waters.

Perhaps it would have been better, so far as their peace of mind was
concerned, not to have ventured out, for the scene was anything rather
than reassuring.

Standing there and looking forward the boys could see a huge wall of
water dead ahead bearing down upon the yacht as if to swamp her, and at
the moment when it appeared as if the final stroke had come she would
lurch to leeward,