“Yes,” laughed Pop, “and just imagine what would happen if we were over in Finland. There certainly must be a lot of hard luck there.”
“Oh, Sam doesn’t know any better,” said Grant. “He’s ignorant and like all darkies is superstitious. Sailors are too, and as Sam is a combination of both he is worse than usual.”
“He’s made me feel sort of queer though,” said Fred. “Of course it’s silly and I suppose it’s partly because I’m nervous after fainting but I feel as if something was hanging over us.”
“Don’t be foolish, Fred,” exclaimed Grant.
“I’ll get over it all right,” said Fred lightly. “At the same time Sam’s talk has gotten me stirred up some.”
“Forget it,” urged Pop briefly. “Come on up on deck and see what’s going on.”
“I think I’ll stay here in my bunk a little while,” said Fred. “I haven’t quite recovered my nerve yet. You fellows go on up.”
“All right,” said Grant. “We’ll see you later.”
They made their way up on deck and found that the Josephine was still at anchor and that the wind instead of changing was blowing in the same direction and seemed fresher than formerly.
“The Finn’s giving us head winds,” said Pop in a low voice to his companions.