"I don't well see how anybody can sleep in this horrid storm," complained Mark Sampson. "And the machine rocks so—ugh! I'm as sick as though we were at sea." "And we are pretty completely 'at sea,'" chuckled the more volatile Jack. "I hope the professor knows where we are. I don't!"
"And I don't see how he can tell," grumbled his chum.
"Pluck up your spirits, old man!" returned the older lad, but Mark interrupted him, still crossly:
"I hope I am as courageous as the next. We've done some funny stunts together, Jack Darrow—you and I and the old professor. But this caps them all, I declare. It's a mystery to me how Mr. Henderson and Andy Sudds can remain asleep."
"Well, they are both tired out, I reckon. They had a long watch—and we slept, you know."
"That was a long time ago," grunted Mark,
"It's pretty tough, I admit," said Jack, when Washington White broke in with:
"Hi, yi! Whuffo' you boys be sech cowards? Is I skeert? Huh!"
"You bet you're scared," returned Jack, emphatically. "When we got caught in that flaw yesterday afternoon he wanted to jump out; didn't he, Mark?"
"Wash certainly tried to climb out," rejoined Mark. "Well, den! dat showed I warn't no coward," crowed the black man, though in a very shaky voice. "If I'd been scart', would I really have wanted ter jump? It was a might long way to de groun' right den, I guess."