"This boat isn't a bad place for a fellow when he's knocked out,"
smiled Jack.

"Any place ought to be good, where your friends are," came, curtly,
from young Somers.

As Captain Jack ate the warm food he felt his strength coming back
to him.

"Poor old Hal has been up there in the conning tower all these hours,"
muttered Captain Jack, uneasily. "He must have that cramped feeling
in his hands."

"Humph!" retorted Eph. "Not so you could notice it much, I guess. It's
a simpleton's job up in the conning tower to-day. All he has to do is
to shift the wheel a little to port, or to starboard, just so as to keep
the proper interval from the 'Dad' boat. Besides, I've been up there
on relief, for an hour while you slept, and Hal came down and sat with
the engines. Cheer up, Jack. No one misses you from the conning tower."

Benson laughed, though he said, warningly:

"I reckon we'll do as well to drop calling the gunboat the 'Dad boat'
instead of the 'parent vessel.'"

"Well, you needn't bother at all about the conning tower to-day," wound
up Eph, glancing at his watch. "It's after half-past three at this
moment and I understand we're to drop anchor about five o'clock."

So skipper Jack settled back with a comfortable sigh. Truth to tell,