"I see them, sir."
"Those are her masthead lights. I know the set of the masts of the Wyckoff boats, that's all. So will you, after you have been at sea long enough. It is all a matter of experience. I have been drilling up and down these lakes for the past thirty years. I ought to know a few things about them and the fellows who are navigating them. It's going to storm."
"Yes, sir," agreed the lad, but he did not see any signs of rain. The stars were bright overhead and the moon was shining brightly. "I see I have a few things to learn about the weather," he muttered.
A few minutes later Steve discovered that the moon and the stars had suddenly disappeared. The captain knew they would, for the wind had veered to the southeast and he had seen the fog bank settling down since the first moment he entered the pilot house. The rain started in shortly afterwards in a thin drizzle.
"Hey, up there, it's getting wet down here!" shouted Bob. "Hand me down an umbrella or something."
"Keep a sharp lookout, lads," warned the captain. "Remember we've got a load of coal across our bows."
"Aye, aye, sir," answered Steve. "I think I can see quite a way ahead of us."
"That is a mistake. You can't see a ship's length ahead. Keep your eyes open."
"I will, sir."
"Where is your raincoat?"