The officers were seated according to their rank, the navigating force on one side and the engine room, including the oilers, on the other, but as the men who were eating were the ones going on watch, there was plenty of room for the young homesteaders.
The boy in the white coat and apron, who had rung the bell, waited upon the table, serving soup and a dinner much the same as that of the crew, save that there was roast lamb as well as corned beef and cabbage, a greater variety of cake, and a pudding in addition to the pies.
Well cooked and appetizing, the meal would have been good in any event, but with appetites sharpened by the bracing air, it tasted delicious to the boys, and the skipper smiled as they took second helpings.
As rapidly as the men finished, they withdrew, going to their stations to relieve the men on duty, for until the second watch came on, the first watch were obliged to remain at their posts.
“Now what do you think?” asked Captain Perkins, as they passed out on deck.
“That the men who wrote those stories didn’t know what they were writing about or had never sailed on an ore carrier,” responded Ted.
“And the grub is just as good on the other boats,” asserted the skipper. “Of course, some lines feed better than others, but it’s all wholesome and well cooked.”
During the afternoon the boys amused themselves with the binoculars, studying the ships they passed and watching people on shore when they could find any.
Toward dusk they noticed a pall of smoke off the port bow.
“Must be a big fire,” commented Phil.