The Beginning of Trouble
Bob and Joe found the ocean voyage very interesting, for it was
something new to them. The waves, sea gulls, flying fish, an
occasional shark, the painted horizon, and the ship itself all held
their undivided attention and made them thrill at the fact that they
were living through an experience that only a comparative few had the
opportunity of enjoying.
They spent much of their time on deck, enjoying the never-ending charm
of the ocean. Thus far the weather had remained peaceable enough, and
both boys expressed a desire for it to continue thus. They had never
witnessed a hurricane, but had heard from their fathers of how
destructive a tropical ocean storm could really be.
"The ship looks strong enough to come through safely," remarked Joe,
as he cast eyes about the deck.
"Yes," his friend replied. "She's built on the stoutest possible
lines."
Section by section the youths explored the _Empire_ and were much
impressed by everything they saw. They visited the various passenger
quarters, the bridge, the enormous kitchens, the hold, and last and
most interesting, the engine rooms, where mammoth turbines turned
harmoniously and kept the ship at a smooth, even gait. The vessel
interested them greatly, and while not built on the enormous
proportions of the huge liners that sailed between American and
European ports, it was large enough to keep the youths wondering.
"One of the many man-made wonders," said Bob, as he thought of how
complex the engines were.
One of the things that impressed the boys most was the large supply of
provisions that were taken along. There were literally tons of food,
water, novelties, and other goods stored in great rooms, and every bit
was to be used on this one voyage. Artificial refrigeration kept
perishable food fresh and wholesome.
Early the next day Bob and Joe showed their first signs of
seasickness. They had been standing at the rail watching the rolling
of the waves and were growing rather tired when Joe turned about, his
face pale and of a yellowish color.
"I think I'll go to my berth," he said, his voice unsteady.
"What's the matter? You----"
"It came at last," smiled Mr. Lewis, who had moved up to the youths.
"I seldom knew it to fail. Seasickness is almost sure to be felt on
the first voyage one takes. Bob, I'm betting that before two hours
will have passed you'll be as bad off as Joe. Of course," he went on
in a tone that he tried to keep serious, "let's hope you'll have
better luck, but the chances are against you."
Mr. Lewis's prophecy proved correct. In fact it was less than one hour
later that big Bob, after heroically postponing the dreaded
seasickness as long as he possibly could, turned and went to his berth
to join his stricken comrade.
"Too bad," remarked Mr. Holton, closing the door of the stateroom
after cautiously peeping in. "Perhaps their next voyage--if they take
any more--will be free from unpleasantness."
Throughout the remainder of that day the boys' condition remained
unchanged. If anything, they were worse off than before, and neither
would look at a bite of food of any kind.
"This is terrible," moaned Joe to his father, the professor, and Mr.
Holton, who went in to see how the youths were.
"Cheer up," Mr. Holton said in lively tones. "You can surely stand a
couple of more days."
He was right. It was two days later when the boys began to show signs
of recovery. Then only very slowly did they resume their natural
cheerfulness.
"Too bad we had to miss so much," mourned Bob. "But I'll admit there
wasn't much to see."
"Nothing but water," said Joe and then turned to go into the cabin. As
he did so he happened to glance down at the stern and pointed for Bob
to follow his gaze.
Leaning against the rail were the boys' fathers conversing with an
elderly bearded man, with a uniform that distinguished him as the
ship's captain. He seemed good-natured and humorous, for occasionally
he would cause the men to laugh so hard that they would have to grip
the rail to maintain their balance.
"Come over, boys," Mr. Holton said, glancing up.
They did so.
"This," he continued, "is Captain Crowell, chief officer of the
_Empire_. Captain, this is Joe Lewis, and this, Bob Holton, the young
men we were telling you about. What do you think of them?"
The old officer spent nearly a minute in looking the boys over. Then
he turned to the naturalists.
"Spirited-looking chaps," he grinned. "Look as if they'd like to
deprive Brazil of every bit of animal life in it. Better not let them
have a rifle. The jaguars will all make for cover."
"Roasting us, are you?" retorted Bob.
"No. What creature, no matter how fierce, wouldn't be afraid of two
mates who captured a gang of desperate criminals all by themselves?
You don't need to worry about these fellows," he said to their
fathers. "They'll take care of themselves and you, too, perhaps."
Bob and Joe took a liking to the old seaman and intended to discuss
many problems with him in the future.
"Maybe he can suggest something to do to while the time away," said
Bob the next day, when Captain Crowell was again referred to.
"That reminds me," the other youth blurted out. "There's a swimming
pool in the second deck. Let's go up."
Bob readily agreed, and they were soon floating calmly about.
"We'd better get as much out of this as we can," remarked Joe. "There
won't be a chance to enjoy this sport in Brazilian waters."
"No," put in Bob. "The alligators and piranhas and other dangerous
forms won't give us a chance to even wade."
The youths were not the only ones to invade the swimming pool,
however. As they neared the tropics, and the temperature steadily went
up, people from all over the ship enjoyed its cool retreat, the pool
becoming almost crowded. It was great fun. Nothing to do but just
splash about.
Games also held the boys' attention. Shuffleboard, quoits, deck
tennis, horseshoes, and other activities played an important part in
the daily life, and in times when they desired more quiet
entertainment, the library, with its scores of books of all types,
afforded interesting occupation.
Many leisure hours were spent conversing with Captain Crowell, who
always had a humorous tale to tell. On one occasion, when they had
been at sea nearly a week, Bob and Joe happened upon him standing at
the rail, gazing up at the sky, on his face a worried expression.
"Big storm coming," he said, after the salutation.
"A storm!" cried Joe and then looked upward.
Sure enough, clouds were banking heavily, and the sun was nowhere in
sight. A stiff breeze had arisen, and with this came the smell of
rain.
An officer came up and handed a slip of paper to the captain. He read
it, and then, with a parting word for Bob and Joe, he turned and went
toward the bridge.
The boys looked at each other. Were things going to turn out for the
worse? Surely something serious was wrong, or the captain would never
have acted in such manner.
"Getting darker," Bob said, as he noted that the clouds were joining.
"Won't be long before it'll rain," prophesied Joe, and he was correct,
for it was less than ten minutes later that a heavy drizzle fell,
forcing the chums into the cabin.
There they turned and looked out at the sea, which was rapidly getting
higher. The wind was blowing fiercely, its velocity increasing with
each minute.
"Well, boys, what do you think of it?"
It was Mr. Holton's voice. He and his two companions had moved up to
the glass, as had a number of other people.
"Suppose you answer that question," replied Bob. "You're in a better
position to know than we are."
"I believe we're in for a bad one," was the opinion voiced by
Professor Bigelow. "But how long it will last is hard to say."
Mr. Lewis nodded. "Tropical hurricanes are very uncertain," he said.
"Sometimes they last only a few hours, while at other times they keep
up for two and three days."
The boat was now rocking violently, and many people had difficulty in
keeping their footing. Bob and Joe took chairs that were fastened
securely to the floor. They intended to remain awake all night if the
storm did not subside.
But exhaustion was stronger than their intentions, and finally they
stumbled to their stateroom, ready for a night's rest.
"Storm or no storm, I'm going to turn in," Bob said, and then lost his
footing and went sprawling to the floor, with Joe on top of him. The
ship had suddenly tilted as she struck a mountainous wave.
"Wow!" cried Joe, gripping a water pipe and righting himself. "Better
hold tight from now on or we're likely to get a bad spill."
By almost a miracle the youths undressed. Then they tumbled into their
berths, to go to sleep at once.
About midnight they were awakened by a shrill, long-drawn whistle, and
all the sleep knocked out of them, they were on their feet in an
instant wondering what was meant by that unusual sound in the dark of
the night.