“Ten,” cried Tom. “Speak up, Professor.”
“It’s your place first,” he replied.
“Give it up.”
“Now listen carefully,” began Jim in a magisterial manner, “and if there is anything you don’t quite understand, raise your hand.”
“Humph!” grunted Tom, “I guess that I can understand anything you can tell me.”
“Well, children, it’s this way,” continued Jim. “When you are upon the land and you look at something in the distance your eyesight is stretched from point to point by intervening objects, while on the ocean your vision instead of being stretched out collapses as it were because there is a monotonous level between your eye and the object. Now I hope you will remember what I have just told you, children. School is dismissed.”
Jo seemed to be unduly impressed with the idea that he was a schoolboy again, so he grabbed Tom’s hat and made as if he was going to throw it overboard. Tom made a grab for Jo and missed, then there was a great chase around the main deck. Jo was very fleet of foot and gained on his pursuer, until Tom saw that he must resort to stratagem; so no sooner had Jo disappeared around the corner of the quarter deck than Tom doubled back on his own trail, to the cook’s galley, that had a door opening on either side, so that one could step into either passageway.
Tom leaped into the galley, and was quick to the other door, that he opened a wee bit; he saw that Jo had just swerved into the passageway and down he came full tilt toward where Tom lay in ambush, swinging the latter’s captured hat in his hand. Tom watched him eagerly, then he sprang out from his hiding place directly in front of the flying Jo, who was utterly surprised, but he was under such headway that he could not stop.
Tom met him squarely and down they went in a heap, the lurch of the ship sending Jo’s head heavily against an iron stanchion. His body gave a jerk and quiver, then he stretched out unconscious. We all know that skylarking of that kind sometimes produces the worst accidents. Naturally Tom was terribly frightened, for he thought Jo was killed, and he did look it, stretched out, with his eyes closed.
“Jim!” cried Tom, “Jim! come here quick.”