Cleggett did not permit himself to speak for fear that the thrill
which her words imparted to him would carry him too far. He
bowed.

"But I think you mentioned tea?" she said. "Did I hear you say
it was orange pekoe, or did I dream that? And couldn't we have
it on deck?"

While Kuroki was bringing a table and chairs on deck and busying
himself about that preparation of tea, Cleggett watched Elmer,
the squat young man, with a growing curiosity. George and Cap'n
Abernethy were also watching Elmer from a discreet distance.
Even Kuroki, silent, swift, and well-trained Kuroki, could not
but steal occasional glances at Elmer. Had Cleggett been of a
less lofty and controlled spirit he would certainly have asked
questions.

For Elmer, having uncovered the zinc can and taken from it a
hammer and a large tin funnel, proceeded to break the big chunk
of ice which Kuroki had brought him, into half a dozen smaller
pieces. These smaller lumps, with the exception of two, he put
into the zinc bucket, wrapped around with pieces of coffee
sacking. Then he put the cover on the bucket to exclude the air.

The zinc bucket was thus a portable refrigerator, or rather, ice
house.

Taking one of the lumps of ice which he had left out of the zinc
bucket for immediate use, Elmer carefully and methodically broke