For on fire their very lives depended. Without it water could not be condensed.
With Archie and our younger heroes, the captain one day went round the ship below and above.
“You see, lads,” he said, “the coals won’t last a very long time, and water we must have.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, I think with economy we may be able to live six months longer.”
“Oh, sir, the coals won’t last six weeks.”
“True, mate, true, but we’ll burn the bulkheads and every timber or spar below we can spare, though we make a shell of the ship.”
“Won’t there be danger of her floating too lightly then and rolling under?”
“No, I shall look out for that. I shall load up with sand ballast dredged from below.”
“Well thought of!”