of these cubbyholes were so tiny that a canary bird could scarcely have
hidden in them, while other places where the stewards looked would have
hidden a giant.

When Mr. Bunker appeared in haste from the smoking cabin, having been
found by Vi, Mrs. Bunker fairly cast herself into his arms.

"Oh, Charles!" she cried. "He's fallen overboard!"

"You would never think of such a thing, Amy," returned her husband, "if
the ship wasn't entirely surrounded by water."

"How can you joke, Charles?" she cried.

"I don't joke. Do you know how high the bulwarks are? A little boy like
Mun Bun could not have fallen overboard. He could not climb the
bulwarks."

"I never thought of that," agreed Mother Bunker more cheerfully.

"He might have fallen into one of the holds; but I don't believe he has
done even that. And there are so many officers and men going up and down
the ladders that I believe he has not even gone off this deck. For
somebody would be sure to see him."

"Of course he didn't go ashore again?" suggested Rose, who with the
other children had returned to the staterooms.

"Oh, no. We had started--were well down the harbor in fact--before he
disappeared."