“I’d give as much as ten dollars to be on land again,” murmured Spouter. “We were fools not to heed those storm warnings.”
So far there had been no rain. But now a miserable drizzle set in, as cold as it was dismal. The boys buttoned up their slickers tightly and pulled their caps well down over their faces. But with it all they felt far from comfortable and could not keep from shivering.
“Might as well have a bite to eat,” suggested Andy, after another hour had passed and they were still in the midst of the cold drizzle and fog. “Maybe it will warm us up.”
The lunch was passed around, and although some of the boys did not have much of an appetite, the food disappeared quite rapidly. With the lunch they had brought along a thermos bottle filled with hot coffee, and this beverage was comforting.
Presently the wind began to blow and the boys had hopes that this would dispel the fog. But they speedily found out their mistake. Once or twice they saw a bit of clearing, but then the wind died down and the fog seemed to become thicker than ever, the glass of the cabin windows running with water inside and out.
“A fellow doesn’t realize what sunshine means until it fails him,” was Spouter’s comment. “Gosh! how good it would seem if the sun came out as bright as it was yesterday.”
“Well, there is one thing to be thankful for,” said Jack, trying to be cheerful. “So far as I can see, this boat doesn’t leak a drop.”
“You wouldn’t expect a brand new boat to leak, would you?” asked Gif.
“Some boats might—if they had been kept dry too long,” put in Fred.