They opened a tin of salmon and a tin of pears, and had a good meal, though Tom longed for some bread with the salmon. It was odd sitting there eating on the bobbing raft, all by themselves in the midst of a wide heaving sea.
The day seemed endless—but at last the sun slid down the sky and the sea turned from green to purple in the twilight. "It's not so warm now," said Tom, taking his jersey down from the mast.
"Tom, see if you can have a nap for a while," said Andy. "I don't think we ought both to sleep at once. The wind might change, or a storm might blow up—you sleep now and I'll have a nap later."
Tom wrapped himself in a rug and tried to go to sleep. Andy slipped a rope round his waist and tied him to the box in the middle.
"You might roll off the raft in the middle of the night," he said with a grin. "I shouldn't like to look round and find you gone, Tom!"
Tom lay on his back and looked up at the night sky. It was a clear night, with no moon and the stars shone brightly. Andy pointed out the North Star to Tom.
"That tells me we are still going in the right direction," said Andy. "At this rate we should sight the coast we're heading for in about three or four days."
"Oh—as long as that!" said Tom in great disappointment. "I thought we'd only by a day or two, going at this pace."
"This is a raft, not a sailing-smack," said Andy. "Now go to sleep. I'll wake you if I need you for anything."
Tom slept. He dreamt he was on a swing, going up and down, up and down in the air. It was very pleasant. Then he dreamt he was being scolded by lill for something and she suddenly threw a pail of cold water right over him! He woke with a jump and sat up.