"How's that?" exclaimed Jack. "No funnel?"
The tender containing the first installments of the water-supply had already left the jetty, and Jack fell hastily to considering how the water was to be got out of the big unheaded casks into the tanks without its being dribbled in by the dipperful.
"Did you look everywhere?" he demanded.
"I look in de peak and go all de way aft to de run," replied the steward, "and all I find was de funnel in de kerosene-barrel. It ees too small, and it do fair reek wid de pairfume of de oil, sair."
"Is there any piping aboard? any hose?" Jack asked. "We might siphon it."
Gonzague shook his head, and at that moment the boat laden with water came alongside. Jack leaned over the rail.
"I say, Jerry," he called out, "there's no funnel to fill the tanks with. How the deuce can we make water-stowage?"
"Search me," returned Jerry with cheerful inelegance. "How should I know? Might use the megaphone."
"You're a genius!" roared Jack. "It'll do to a T!"
The keys were found, the caps unscrewed from the deck-plates, and the large papier-maché cone of the megaphone was set big-end-up over the orifice. Two men held it by the rim, while others kept it brimming with buckets of water bailed out of the casks. At the end of another hour both tanks were filled and the caps screwed down.