The Search for the Silver City | Page 9

much difficulty. Come, boys, let me help you to turn in."
The calm, matter-of-fact way in which Mr. Walters acted caused the boys to feel more comfortable in mind, and they made no protest when he assisted them to the state-room where there was yet water enough to show what had happened.
"Why didn't you call one of the stewards to mop this up?" the sailing master asked as he lighted the swinging lamp.
"We haven't seen one since the gale begun," Neal replied with a laugh. "I fancy they were as much frightened as Teddy and I."
"It won't take long to turn them out," and Mr. Walters started forward in a manner which boded no good for the skulkers.
Neal and Teddy found little difficulty in retaining a recumbent position, although the yacht was tossing up and down like a mad thing. She no longer gave those sudden lurches which threatened to carry away even the short spars, and for the first time since the deluge from the port-hole, they began to feel really comfortable in mind.
The steward came in very shortly after Mr. Walters left, and from the expression on his face it was evident he had been rated severely for neglect of duty.
"It didn't make any difference to us whether the water was washed up or not," Neal said in a friendly tone. "The sailing master saw it and asked why we hadn't called you."
"He don't allow that a man has any right to sleep," the steward replied sulkily. "If he'd been up since five o'clock, he'd want to turn in before midnight instead of foolin' around the cabin till it was time to begin another day's work."
"Is it possible that you have been sleeping?" Neal asked in surprise.
"Why not?"
"I don't see how you could even lie down while the yacht was tumbling 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, presenting her side to the wave, rising on the succeeding one and shivering on its crest as if shaking the spray from her shrouds, after which came the downward plunge that caused the boys to hold their breath in fear.
The sky, the swiftly flying clouds, and the