aught sight of the turbulent dining-room.

The scene was amusing, and also irritating. It seemed to Charley as
though they would never find a place. Every time anybody got up,
somebody immediately popped into the vacated chair. Charley began to
be alarmed lest the supply of food would run short.

"Take the first chance that comes, now," bade his father. "I'll go up
and send Mr. Grigsby down as soon as you're started, so you can mount
guard while I eat. I'll be watching our friends the enemy."

Charley pushed forward, and presently he himself popped into a place.
The long-nosed man and his two partners had leisurely finished and were
strolling out--the man with the bowie-knife using it as a tooth-pick!
But Charley knew that his father and Mr. Grigsby would watch _them_, so
_he_ pitched into the food. It was a case of everybody reaching and
grabbing. Charley only wished that he had longer arms.

Just as he was midway Mr. Grigsby came down to a seat; and soon up ran
Charley, to release his father. Now was he on guard, alone, ready to
do his best if anybody tried to seize the boat; but nobody did try.
Meanwhile he might gaze about.

He saw funny sights, for the _Georgia_ was rolling and tossing in the
waves of the Gulf. It affected the passengers very oddly. They were
all kinds, these passengers, both first-cabin and second-cabin--for the
second-cabin passengers were allowed on the upper deck, although not to
sleep. A great many were Southerners, including a number of long,
lank, dark Arkansans, Georgians, Louisianans and Mississippians.
Pistols and knives were plentiful, although notices, posted about the
ship, said, plainly: "The Wearing of Deadly Weapons Aboard this Ship is
Forbidden." For that matter, another notice said: "Passengers Are
Requested to Wear their Coats at Meals." But nobody obeyed either
notice.

There were only a few women, among the first- and second-cabin
passengers; the steerage contained the most women, accompanying their
emigrant husbands and sons. However, Southerners and Northerners, and
the men like the women, many of the passengers were beginning to act
very queerly.

They clustered along the rail, leaning over and hanging to it as they
leaned; they sat down, against the rail, and against the state-rooms;
and soon a lot were lying sprawled, with their eyes closed. Most of
these had come aboard at New Orleans, probably. The brisk ones had
been aboard already, from the Nort