Mrs. Bobbsey was just falling into a doze when there was a sudden splash in the water, and a loud cry.
“Man overboard! Man overboard!” some one yelled.
“Oh, if it should be one of the children!” cried Mrs. Bobbsey. For, no matter whether it is a boy, girl or woman that falls off a ship at sea, a sailor will always call: “‘Man’ overboard!” I suppose that is easier and quicker to say.
“Who is it? What’s the matter?” cried Mr. Bobbsey, awakened suddenly from his sleep.
There was more splashing in the water alongside the boat, and then Captain Crane turned on a lamp that made the deck and the water about very light.
“Jim Black fell overboard,” answered Mr. Chase, the engineer. “He got up to draw a bucket of water to soak his head in so he could cool off, and he reached over too far.”
“Is he all right?” asked Captain Crane.
“Yes, I’m all right,” was the answer of the sailor himself. “I feel cooler now.”
At this the older people laughed.
He had fallen in with the clothes on, in which he had been sleeping, but as soon as he struck the water he swam up, made his way to the side of the ship, grabbed a rope that was hanging over the side, and pulled himself to the deck.