“Strikes two bells.”
“Yes, indeed! Isn’t it simple?” asked Dan sarcastically.
“When you get the hang of it,” Nelson answered. “All you have to do is to remember that it’s eight bells at twelve, four and eight. Then one bell is half-past, two bells one hour later, three bells half-past again, and——”
“That’ll do for you,” interrupted Dan. “I don’t want to learn it all the first lesson. But, look here, now; suppose I wake up in the night and hear the silly thing strike eight. How do I know whether it’s midnight or four in the morning?”
“Why,” said Bob, “all you have to do is to lie awake awhile. If the sun comes up it was four, and if it doesn’t it was twelve.”
“Huh! I guess I’ll go by my watch. The chap who invented the ship’s clock must have been crazy!”
“Lunch is ready!” called Tom.
“Go ahead, you fellows,” said Dan. “But don’t eat it all up.”
“And you keep a watch where you’re going,” cautioned Nelson. “If you get near a boat or anything, sing out; hear?”
“Aye, aye, sir!”