"There won't be any difficulty about it. He has already promised that if nothing happens he will speak to your father."
"And in the meanwhile we've got before us the jolly fact that we're to stay on board a month."
"Yes; but there's no good reason why we should remain below where it is so warm. Come on deck for awhile, and then we'll have a look at the engine-room."
The engineer, Jake Foster, was under the awning aft, and Neal introduced his friend, saying as he did so:
"Teddy has never been yachting before, not even in a sailing craft."
Jake, a stout, jolly looking fellow hardly more than twenty-five years of age, gazed at the visitor curiously a moment, and then said with a hearty laugh:
"He'll have a chance to find out what an acquaintance with the ocean means, for I understand that Mr. Emery is going to run well over to the Bahamas before he comes back."
"Father has business there which it would be necessary to attend to not later than next fall, so intends to make it a portion of the pleasure trip."
"Are we likely to have much rough weather?" Teddy asked, realizing for the first time that it was more than possible he might be called upon to pay Neptune a tribute.
"Not at this time of the year; but its more'n probable the Sea Dream will kick up her heels enough to show something of what is meant by a life on the ocean wave before she pokes her nose into this port again."