“Yes,” agreed George, “but how long do you think they’ll last?”
“Plenty long enough to keep us going until we are picked up.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” George advised. “At any rate, we have no water, and that’s even more important than food.”
“Yes, we have, too, Pop,” corrected Fred. “It’s right under my feet.”
“Yes, salt water, though,” grumbled George.
“Not at all. There’s a cask of fresh water right here in the bottom of the boat.”
“Give me some, then,” exclaimed George eagerly. “I’m half dead with thirst as it is now.”
“Don’t drink it now, Pop,” urged Grant. “We may be hard pressed for water, as you say, and I think we’d all better wait till morning. Then we can take stock of just what we have here.”
“That’s right, Grant,” agreed John heartily. “Don’t you think so, too, Petersen?”
“I do. We can surely get along without food and water until light comes, but in a day or so we may need it very badly.”