their cheerful endurance of hardship.

At two o'clock Tom was called on deck to take the wheel, and Jeems
Howell to stand watch. Not a very strong maritime team, to be sure,
but with the calm mild weather it was safe enough, and the captain
was near at hand if any trouble should arise suddenly from out the
darkness of the sea.

"Do you suppose you two land lubbers can manage, without running us
aground?" inquired Jim.

"Aye, aye, sir!" replied Jeems cheerfully.

"I'm just as liable to run this thing in a circle," replied Tom, "and
we will butt into Hawaii before we know it."

As a matter of fact, the boys were all pretty fair sort of sailors by
this time, in a kind of make-shift practical way. They had received
good instruction from old Pete, and capable supervision from the old
captain, and it gave them confidence to have him back of them in case
anything unusual should come up.

Juarez, who was really a mechanical genius, went below in the
engine-room to relieve the engineer. He spent his happiest hours in a
pair of greasy jumpers working over the engine, feeding it with oil,
polishing it until it shone, and giving it constant attention. The
taciturn engineer had taken quite a fancy to Juarez, who was himself
as silent as an Indian. He had taught Juarez a great deal about his
intricate trade, and the pupil had been quick to profit, always
watching and observing, and saying little.

It seemed to Juarez that he was at the center of things when he was
watching over the throbbing, steady, ceaseless movement of the engine;
and shut off from the outside world, his thoughts seemed to time with
the steady, powerful harmony of the mechanism, with its living spirit
of steam within the polished framework. Many a boy who reads these
lines will envy Juarez Hoskins, assistant engineer of the _Sea Eagle_,
and will understand his feelings perhaps even better than the writer.

Nor did Juarez mind the heat, as with the jumper fastened over his
brown naked shoulders, and bare head, he went busily about the
engine-room whistling softly to himself. Old Pete passed near on his
way into the hold, and in a short time up came the boy stoker, black
as a gnome and cheerful as a darkey, for he was Irish, which I take to
be a Hibernian remark.

Thus with the exception of Pete the Frontier Boys were in charge of
their ship and running it all right too. There was no question that
this practise cruise to Hawaii was a fine thing for them,