The ship was now pitching so violently that they were all obliged to cling fast to the railing of the stairway to keep their feet.
"If this isn't a cyclone then I'd hate to see one," Jack laughed as a huge wave sent a smother of spray over the bow.
"What makes you think it isn't one?" Bob asked his uncle.
"They don't usually come in the morning," he replied.
Soon after, Mr. Lakewood proposed that they join the captain in the wheel house.
"There's plenty of room in there and I don't reckon he'll mind, and there's no use staying out here in the rain. But you want to cling tight going up those stairs."
He led the way and the boys followed. Once Jack was all but blown off his feet but he recovered his balance and finally they were all inside.
"How does it look to you?" Mr. Lakewood asked.
"It's not so bad," Captain Ole shouted back.
Bob looked at Jack, and Jack looked at Bob. "What did he call bad?" was the question in their eyes.