“He didn’t actually hit me,” replied Teddy; “but he twisted his knuckles in my neck till I thought I’d choke. I guess sailors feel toward stowaways something as brakemen feel about hoboes stealing rides on railroad trains. As soon as I could get my breath, I asked for the Sturdy party; and you know the rest.”
“How did you get along for grub?” asked Don. “Did you have any with you?”
“Not a bit,” was the answer. “You see, when I first came on board I counted on seeing you the next morning, really, so I didn’t bring anything along with me. After I’d been down in the hold awhile I began to feel hungry. Then I got scared for fear I’d starve to death. But I rustled around among the boxes and barrels and found some boxes where the covers had been cracked or loosened and got hold of some canned goods, beef and preserved cherries. I broke the cans open on the sharp edge of a box. But, oh, boy, what I’m going to do to the grub when I once get at a regular table!”
“There goes the gong now,” said Don, rising. “Come right along and fill up.”
“Lead me to it!” cried Teddy, jumping up.
What he did to the fare of the liner’s table amply fulfilled his prediction. Even the silent disapproval that still persisted on the faces of the captain and the professor had no effect on his appetite.
“Does it beat canned beef and cherries?” whispered the grinning Don, who was sitting beside him.
“By a thousand miles,” replied Teddy, as clearly as he could with his mouth full. “I’ve already let out my belt twice.”
They had reached the dessert when Teddy gave a start. His eyes had fallen on the faces of two of his fellow passengers, seated at a table a few feet away.
“Who are those fellows?” he asked, in an agitated whisper.