But he was interrupted, for there came in a hurry a ship's officer, as if sent by the long-nosed man. "Here! Take your things off that boat," he ordered. "You can't use that boat. It's a life-boat." "Where are we to stow ourselves, then?" queried Mr. Adams, at once. "I don't know. But you can't use that boat." "Will you give us a berth in place of it?" "No, sir," informed the officer, crisply. "We've got to have some place for ourselves and our personal baggage, sir," declared Mr. Adams. "Our tickets entitle us to a berth. We're doing the best we can, to keep from littering the deck; but if you insist on imposing further we'll carry the matter to Government authority and see whether we were not sold tickets under false pretenses." The officer hesitated. Clearly, these three passengers knew how to stand up for themselves. He decided to let well enough alone. "You occupy the boat at your own risk, then," he snapped. "The company does not hold itself liable. Understand that?" "Perfectly." The officer turned on his heel, and left them in possession. "That settles _us_, I reckon," quoth the Fremont man, springing lightly down. "It's our claim." V AN ATTACK BY THE ENEMY The _Georgia_ pulled out that very evening instead of lying over until morning; and it was rumored that even with this hasty start there would be barely time enough for the passengers to catch the Pacific Mail steamship at Panama, for San Francisco. Mr. Adams and the Fremont man (whose name was Grigsby) stayed by the baggage until the steamer sailed; but Charley wandered about the decks, "seeing things." And there was plenty to see. The _Georgia_ seemed to be a fine boat. She had three decks, all crowded. The upper deck was for the first-cabin passengers, who paid the highest fare, and were supposed to have special privileges of table and state-rooms. The pilot-house was forward, and so were the rooms of the captain and first officers. The second deck contained the large dining cabin, with state-rooms on either side of it for the other officers and the second-cabin passengers. Down below, on the first deck, where the portholes were often under water, in a large room with rude bunks in tiers along the sides were crowded the steerage passengers. Here they ate and slept, all together. On this deck, forward, were housed the crew; and some steerage passengers overflowed into the forward end of the second deck.