'And now,' said Mr. Noah, 'I beg that anxiety may be dismissed from every mind. If the waters subside, they leave us safe. If they rise, as I confidently expect them to do, our ark will float, and we still are safe. In the morning I will take soundings and begin to steer a course. We will select a suitable spot on the shore, land and proceed to the Hidden Places, where we will consult the oracle. A little refreshment before we retire for what is left of the night? A captain's biscuit would perhaps not be inappropriate?' He took a tin from a locker and handed it round. 'That's A1, sir,' said the Lord High Islander, munching. 'What a head you have for the right thing.' 'All practice,' said Mr. Noah modestly. 'Thank you,' said Lucy, taking a biscuit; 'I wish. . . .' The sentence was never finished. With a sickening suddenness the floor of the saloon heaved up under their feet, a roaring surging battering sound broke round them; the saloon tipped over on one side and the whole party was thrown on the pink silk cushions of the long settee. A shudder seemed to run through the ark from end to end, and 'What is it? Oh! what is it?' cried Lucy as the ark heeled over the other way and the unfortunate occupants were thrown on to the opposite set of cushions. (It really _was_, now, rather like what you imagine the inside of your Noah's ark must be when you put in Mr. Noah and his family and a few hastily chosen animals and shake them all up together.) 'It's the sea,' cried the Lord High Islander; 'it's the great Fear come upon us! And I'm not afraid!' He drew himself up as well as he could in his cramped position, with Mr. Noah's elbow pinning his shoulder down and Mr. Perrin's boot on his ear. With a shake and a shiver the ark righted itself, and the floor of the saloon got flat again. 'It's all right,' said Mr. Perrin, resuming control of his boot; 'good workmanship, it do tell. She ain't shipped a drop, Mr. Noah, sir.' 'It's all right,' said Mr. Noah, taking his elbow to himself and standing up rather shakily on his yellow mat. 'We're afloat, we're afloat On the dark rolling tide; The ark's water-tight And the crew are inside. 'Up, up with the flag Let it wave o'er the sea; We're afloat, we're afloat-- And what else should we be?' '_I_ don't know,' said Lucy; 'but there isn't any flag, is there?' 'The principle's the same,' said Mr. Noah; 'but I'm afraid we didn't think of a flag.' '_I_ did,' said Mr. Perrin; 'it's only a Jubilee hankey'--he drew it slowly from his breast-pocket, a cotton Union Jack it was--'but it shall wave all right. But not till daylight, I think, sir. Discretion's the better part of--don't you think, Mr. Noah, sir? Wouldn't do to open the ark out of hours, so to speak!' 'Just so,' said Mr. Noah. 'One, two, three! Bed!'