When Mr. Johnson came back and reported this our captain called his officers into the cabin and held a consultation. Exactly what was said I don't know; but when they came out on deck the captain gave orders for twenty barrels of beef, and a corresponding amount of other provisions, together with a good supply of water, to be put on board the Warwick. While this was going on, our mate went to the Warwick and had a talk with her mate; I suppose I ought to call him captain, as that is what he really was at the time. When he came back there was another conference, and then our second officer and six men were transferred to the other ship. Soon after the transfer was made the men on the Warwick, I mean those that had been put aboard by the Washington, made sail as quickly as they could and steered away to the eastward. We did the same thing, and the two ships went along together, keeping from a few hundred yards up to two or three miles apart. The indications were that we were to sail in company, and an hour or two later I learned from Haines that my surmise was correct. "The old man has planned it," Haines explained, "that we shall keep along, side by side, just as well as we can. The Warwick appears to be about as good a sailer as the Washington, and though we lose a little time in keeping together it won't be very much." "But suppose," I asked, "a squall comes up in the night and blows us apart, so that we can't see anything of each other next morning, what then?" "Oh, it's easy enough to fix that," Haines answered, "and that's fixed already. If we get blown apart we'll meet at a point somewhere ahead; our captain will tell Mr. Johnson, perhaps I ought to call him Captain Johnson now, that we shall meet at a certain place. He'll give him the latitude and longitude every day where we are to meet at noon the next day, and the first ship that gets to that point will wait for the other." "Oh, I understand," said I, "and that's a very good way of doing." "I s'pose, too," continued Haines, "that as long's we're together all the observations for latitude and longitude will be made on board the Washington, as we're not near so short-handed as the Warwick is. Our captain or first mate will take the sun every day and work up all the figuring, and then we'll signal the result over to the Warwick. The second mate's a good sailor and understands navigation, but it takes time to do all these things, and he hasn't any to spare. If he gets blown out of sight of us, why, then he'll have to work up his own position, but he needn't do so as long as we're in company." CHAPTER VI. IN DANGER FROM A WATERSPOUT.--CAUGHT IN A GALE.--SEPARATED FROM OUR CONSORT.--A GHOST ON THE WASHINGTON!