Gaines relieved Dick, Clackett took Carl's place, and Speake came after Ah Sin and ordered him below to get breakfast. When the Chinaman was fairly at work, Speake returned to the engine room and took the wheel. Glennie showed himself when breakfast was ready, and he, Matt, Dick, Carl, and Speake ate their breakfast in the periscope room.
"We must be off British Guiana," remarked Glennie, stirring the condensed milk and sugar into his coffee. "Will you put in at Georgetown, Mr. King?"
"We won't have to do that, now that we've picked you up at Port-of-Spain," replied Matt. "We've got to make quick time to the Amazon."
"Iss dot shdeamer der vone ve come pooty near running indo lasdt night?" queried Carl, taking a look into the periscope.
"It's about an even guess whether it is or not."
Ah Sin, who happened to be in the room, took a look at the periscope for himself.
"Did we come near having a collision last night?" queried Glennie, looking up quickly.
Matt, who wished to be agreeable, narrated the incident.
"We made a lucky miss of it," remarked the ensign, when Matt had finished. "I've no desire to go to the bottom in a steel sarcophagus like the Grampus. Strange I slept through it all, but I was tired, and I suppose I slept rather sounder than usual. That chink," he added, putting down his cup, "is a poor coffee-maker. Or is it the coffee itself that tastes so rank?"
"It's poor stuff," spoke up Speake, "an' I was jest goin' to say something about the taste. The chink did better yesterday than he's doin' this mornin'."