ntly told its own tale to an expert like himself.

Although a younger man than Mr Stokes, his brains were considerably
sharper and he was a better mechanic in every way; so now, when, after
examining the damage done to the cylinder, he made light of the
accident, instead of groaning over it like the old chief. Mr Fosset, I
could see, and with him myself also, who shared his belief, saw that the
injury was not irreparable and that it might certainly have been worse.

"Of course it can't be done in a day!" Stoddart said; "still it can be
patched up."

"That's all very well," interposed Mr Stokes, holding to his despondent
view of the situation. "But I'd like to know how you're going to get
that cracked cover off the cylinder with the vessel rolling like this!"

"Oh, I'll manage that easy enough," said the energetic fellow in his
confident way. "I've done worse jobs than that in a heavy sea. Why,
I'll lash myself to the cylinder if it comes to the worse and unscrew
the cover nut by nut, shifting my berth round till I have it off. Then
if Grummet will see to getting the portable forge ready, and some old
sheet iron or boiler plates for working and making into a patch, and if
Links will turn out some new bolts and screws with the lathe, we'll have
everything in working order before we know where we are!"

"Bravo, my hearty!" cried Mr Fosset, lending Stoddart a hand to lash
himself to the cylinder, while Grummet held a screw-wrench and other
tools up to him. "You ought to be a sailor, you're so smart!"

"I prefer my own billet," retorted the other with an air of conscious
power. "I am an engineer!"

Mr Fosset laughed.

"All right!" said he good-humouredly. "Every one to his trade!"

"Humph!" groaned Mr Stokes, who was leaning against the bulkhead,
"looking very white about the gills," as Grummet whispered to me. The
steam gradually dispersing and the lights burning more brightly, enabled
us to see his face better. "I suppose there's nothing I can do?"

"No, nothing, sir," answered Stoddart, busy at the moment with the first
nut of the cylinder cover. "You can very safely leave matters to
Grummet and me! And Mr O'Neil told me as I left the maindeck that you
ought to go to your cabin and lie down, so as to rest your arm, or it
might mortify, he says, when he would not answer for the consequences,
you understand, sir?"

"Ah, that settles the matter; I won't give our amateur sawbones a chance
of lopping i