The thirty extra tons of spare sails, spars, and provisions, the
fifteen tons of water, and the eighty-four tons of coal, made a great
difference in our buoyancy, and the sea came popping in and out at the
most unexpected places; much to the delight of the children, who, with
bare feet and legs, and armed with mops and sponges, waged mimic war
against the intruder and each other, singing and dancing to their
hearts' content. This amusement was occasionally interrupted by a
heavier roll than usual, sending them all into the lee scuppers,
sousing them from head to foot, and necessitating a thorough change of
clothing, despite their urgent protest that sea-water never hurt
anybody.

After our five o'clock dinner, however, we very nearly met with a
most serious accident. We were all sitting or standing about the stern
of the vessel, admiring the magnificent dark blue billows following
us, with their curling white crests, mountains high. Each wave, as it
approached, appeared as if it must overwhelm us, instead of which, it
rushed grandly by, rolling and shaking us from stem to stern, and
sending fountains of spray on board.

[Illustration: Nearly Overboard.]

Tom was looking at the stern compass, Allnutt being close to him. Mr.
Bingham and Mr. Freer were smoking, half-way between the quarter-deck
and the after-companion, where Captain Brown, Dr. Potter, Muriel, and
I, were standing. Captain Lecky, seated on a large coil of rope,
placed on the box of the rudder, was spinning Mabelle a yarn. A new
hand was steering, and just at the moment when an unusually big wave
overtook us, he unfortunately allowed the vessel to broach-to a