ee why the captains of boats always insist on scrubbing
decks so early in the morning. I guess it is just because they are
afraid the sailors will get fat unless they keep them working from
sun-up to sun-down. I smell bacon cooking, and I just love it, though
I am a goat. I can't get to sleep now that I have once been wakened,
so I think I will go and see if I cannot get some of it to eat."

Billy crept to the head of the stairs that led down into that part of
the boat where the kitchen was located, but just as he was about to
venture down, he saw a sailor coming up. He dodged out on deck, and
ran toward the prow of the boat. Here he spied another flight of
stairs going down into the boat he knew not where. But what cared he?
He would go down and see. They led down into the dining saloon and at
the further end he could see a swinging door through which came the
smell of frying bacon.

"I know the kitchen must be behind those doors. I'll just stick my
nose against one of them and peek in."

Billy was just about to push one of the doors open when bang! came one
of them against his head with such force that it knocked him over. It
also rebounded with such force that it knocked over a sailor who was
carrying a tray of glass tumblers to set on the table. Over went the
man, rolling over and over amidst the broken glass and rattling tin
tray.

[Illustration]

Of course all this racket brought the cook and all the other deck
hands who heard it. The cook still carried the frying pan in his hand,
being too much surprised to set it down when he heard the noise. The
man with mop and pail who had been scrubbing the deck came and also
two or three other deck hands. There they all stood, staring with open
mouths and bulging eyes at Billy, who had risen to his forefeet and
stood surveying the wreck he had made. He still felt a little dazed
but came to his senses in a hurry when he saw the man with the pail
and mop raise the mop to come after him. Before the fellow had taken
two steps, Billy had risen to his hind feet, gave a spring and butted
him straight into his pail, where he stuck fast and could not get up
without the pail sticking to him. Then Billy whirled and hooked the
pan of bacon out of the cook's hands, which sent it flying out the
open window onto the deck. Then he turned and started for the other
two men who were standing there, but they had seen enough and
disappeared while there was yet time. Seeing the coast was c