"Into a sleep so deep that it would be impossible to awaken them for some hours." "Ugh!" I ejaculated, as I took the little packet and thrust it into my pocket. "I hope, if ever you give me any physic, you'll be careful not to give me any out of the wrong bottle." "I'll take care," he said. "Mind you warn Mr Brymer to be very careful too." I nodded and went out of the cabin, took a turn along the deck to see that the men were keeping watch by the forecastle-hatch, and then turned in at the galley to say a word or two to the cook, asking him what we were to have for our dinner. I went straight back to where Mr Brymer was down in the captain's store-room with a lantern, by whose light I could see before me two of the large well-known drum-shaped tins of portable soup. "Got it?" he said in a whisper. I handed him the packet without a word. "Look here," he said. "There are two kinds, with blue label and yellow label. You see I shall put the stuff in the yellow labelled tin." "Yes, I see," I replied; and he opened the packet, shook out the contents, so that it lay spread on the top of the brown-looking gluey meat essence, and then stirred it well round with a knife, till it could not help being well mixed. "There, we must chance that," he whispered, "but it seems a very small dose." "Mr Frewen said it was wonderfully strong," I said. "Well, we must hope so. Take the tins. You will not make any mistake?" "Oh no, I'll take care," I said. "The yellow one for the men, the blue for us; but you don't catch me touching it." "Nor me, Dale," he said, with a nod. "And look here, I shan't open this, but here's a big tin of kangaroo-tail; give him that too for warming up for our dinner." I went away pretty well loaded, and walked to the galley. "Here," I said, trying to speak merrily, but it was all forced, for I felt exceedingly nervous. "I was asking you just now what was for dinner. Here you are--kangaroo-tail for our dinner, and that soup in the blue tin; and you're to put plenty of water to this other one, and make a half-bucket-full of soup for the men in the forecastle. How soon will it be ready?" "Five minutes. I've plenty of boiling water. Who opened them?" "We did," I replied. "They are all right, but some of the tins are going bad." "Yes; I've had some I was glad to pitch overboard, sir, and if I had my way I'd make the folks as sells such rubbish for poor sailors eat it themselves." "And serve 'em right. You understand you're to keep this one for us, and get ready the yellow tin?" "All right, Mr Dale." "Hulloa, cookie, what's for dinner?" said the man who had just been relieved from taking his trick at the wheel. "Oh!--didn't know you were here, sir." "Chump end of a hurdy-gurdy and organ sauce, messmate," said the cook, meaning to be very facetious, while I walked out of the galley, passing the man who had been sitting aft talking to the steersman.