Shortly after that, the captain decided to make an inspection of the ship. It was a long and tiresome journey. For the next two hours Sam Hickey was climbing down and up ladders, crawling through narrow spaces, his head swimming, his face red and perspiring. “This orderly business isn’t all it is supposed to be,” he complained to himself, when once more they had emerged upon the quarter-deck, Sam following obediently behind the ship’s commander. From there, they went to the bridge. “How are you headed?” questioned the captain of the man at the wheel. “South, southeast one half,” came the answer. “Mr. Coates, the storm appears to be abating. I think we may safely turn about and steam slowly back toward our anchorage now.” They were out of sight of land by this time. The big ship was turned about and headed back over the reverse course. At noon, eight bells again, Hickey was relieved from his duty, another man taking his place. The boy heaved a deep sigh of relief and hurried forward to hunt up Dan, to whom he confided his experiences of the morning. Dan laughed until he could laugh no more. “Don’t—don’t tell any of the fellows, please,” begged Sam. “It’s too—it’s too good to keep,” gasped Dan between laughs. “Dan Davis, if you tell a human being about that I’ll thrash you worse than either of us thrashed Bill Kester. Now tell about it, if you want to.” Dan sobered. “Very well; if you feel that badly about it I won’t say a word.” “You had better not,” growled Sam. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to routine duties aboard ship, Sam having gotten into his old clothes for the work before him. Painting ship was continued. Corridors and gun decks showed the result of the work that already had been done, and the smell of fresh paint was everywhere. Night came on with the ship nearing her former anchorage. “We shall have good weather to-morrow,” announced the ship’s navigator. “I hope so,” answered the captain. “We want to lay out that mine field and get to work. We are going to try to beat the record of the ‘Georgia’ this time, providing we have no accidents. That is the main reason why I am so anxious about the weather.” At last they reached a sheltered spot, anchors were let go and the battleship swung about, facing into the rolling sea. That night the Battleship Boys lost no time in turning in after taps had been sounded. The ship was rolling more gently now, just enough to lull them into a sound sleep, their hammocks swaying slightly under the battleship’s motion. How long they had been asleep they did not know. All of a sudden Dan uttered a shout and Sam sprang up, as did many others in the corridor. “Pipe down the racket,” growled several voices. “What’s the matter? Is that you, Dan!” called Sam, observing, in the faint light, that his companion was not near him. “Yes,” answered a muffled voice from below. “What’s the trouble, did you fall out of bed?” “I don’t know. I guess I did.” “Hurt you any?”