"I'd give something to be on solid ground and away from this powder mill. You know that sometimes there is such a thing as an unaccountable explosion. A heavy sea must cause motion or friction in the cargo, and friction often starts a fire on shipboard. Fire on this vessel means a quick road to glory." "Huah!" grunted Bruce. "I'm not in the habit of worrying about things that may happen. It's cold out here. Let's go back to the stateroom." "It will be well enough to keep still about the nature of the cargo, Diamond," said Frank. "Oh, I shall keep still about that all right!" assured Jack. As they moved back along the deck they discovered somebody who was leaning over the rail and making all sorts of dismal sounds and groans. "The next time I go to Europe I'll stay at home!" moaned this individual. "Oh, my! oh, my! How bad I feel! Next that comes will be the shaps of my twos--I mean the taps of my shoes!" "It's Rattles!" laughed Frank, softly; "and he is sicker than ever. He's tried to crawl out to get some air." At this moment a man opened the door near Rattleton, and asked: "Is the--ah--er--moon up yet?" "I don't know," moaned Harry. "But it is if I swallowed it. Everything else is up, anyhow." "If the--ah--moon comes up red tonight, it will mean----" "I don't give a rap what it means!" snorted Rattleton. "Don't talk to me! Let me die without torturing me! I'm sick enough without having you make me worse!" Mr. Slush, for he was the anxious inquirer about the moon, dodged back into the cabin, closing the door hesitatingly. Then Rattleton, unaware of the proximity of his amused friends, hung over the rail and groaned again. Frank walked up and spoke: "I see, my dear boy, that you are heeding the Bible admonition." "Hey?" groaned Harry. "What is it?" "'Cast thy bread upon the waters!' You are doing it all right, all right." "Now, don't carry this thing too far!" Rattleton tried to say in a fierce manner, but his fierceness was laughable. "The worm will turn when trodden upon." "But the banana peel knows a trick worth two of that. Did you ever hear that touching little poem about the man who stepped on a banana peel? Never did? Why, that is too bad! You don't know what you've missed. Listen, and you shall hear it." Then Frank solemnly declaimed: "He walked along one summer day, As stately as a prince; He stepped upon a banana peel, And he hasn't 'banana' where since." Rattleton gave a still more dismal groan. "You are conspiring with the elements to hasten my death!" he said. "I can't stand many more like that." "You should wear a sheet of writing paper across your breast, same as I do," said Diamond. "Then you won't be sick." "I've got two sheets of writing paper across mine," declared Harry. "You should drink a bottle of ginger ale to settle your stomach," put in Frank. "Just drank three bottles of ginger ale, and they've turned my stomach wrong side out," gurgled the sick youth.