"What's it like?"

"Two hoops, sir!" answers the seaman, and makes his way out.

The sleepy man who has been wakened wedges himself more securely into his
six foot by two--which is all his private room on the ship--and collects
his thoughts, amid the general hubbub of engines, screw and the roll of
articles which have worked loose, to consider how he will best prevent
being hurled out of his bunk in climbing down, and just where he left his
oilskins and sea-boots.

If, as is possible, he sleeps in the Nursery, his task may not be so
simple as it may seem, for this cabin, which proclaims on one of the
beams that it is designed to accommodate four seamen, will house six
scientists or pseudo-scientists, in addition to a pianola. Since these
scientists are the youngest in the expedition their cabin is named the
Nursery.

Incidentally it forms also the gangway from the wardroom to the
engine-room, from which it is divided only by a wooden door, which has a
bad habit of swinging open and shutting with the roll of the ship and the
weight of the oilskins hung upon it, and as it does so, wave upon wave,
the clatter of the engines advances and recedes.

If, however, it is the officer of the watch he will be in a smaller
cabin farther aft which he shares with one other man only, and his
troubles are simplified.

Owing to the fact that the seams in the deck above have travelled many