nown
existed. "I've always wanted to own an island," he would explain, "and
that's the very island. Let's go ashore, Steve, and look around."
Steve humoured him several times, until the others complained that they
were getting tired of stopping at every bunch of rocks on the Maine
Coast, and pointed out, besides, that, as Perry had owned to having but
nine dollars in his pocket just a few days before, it wasn't at all
likely that he would find an island within his means. After exhausting
the interest of Casco Bay the two boats ran further up the shore and
spent another forty-eight hours at Camden. Steve had friends there and
the whole tribe of mariners were invited to dinners and luncheons and
found that "home cooking" was all that it was popularly believed to be.
Ossie had a most perfect time during those two days.
"Nothing to cook but breakfast," he said ecstatically, "and real food
the other two meals! Gee, but it's fine to eat something some other poor
duffer has cooked! Say, Joe, what is it that pigs have that kills them
off in bunches: sort of a--an epidemic?"
"Hog cholera," hazarded Joe. "Aren't you feeling well, Ossie?"
"Well, I wish they'd all have it," said Ossie devoutly. "I'm so plumb
sick of cooking bacon!"
The rest agreed, away from Ossie's hearing, that it was a very fortunate
thing that the period of eating ashore had arrived when it did, for
Ossie had been showing symptoms of mutiny of late and his cooking had
noticeably fallen off. "He was due to strike in another few days," said
Han. "Then someone else would have had to take the job, and we would all
have starved to death."
"In the absence of the cook," observed Perry gravely, "the job falls to
the crew."
"No, sir, to the second mate," corrected Han. "Isn't that so, Joe?"
"I'm not sure. The only thing I am sure of is that--um--it doesn't fall
to the chief engineer."
"I should say not!" retorted Perry. "Think of eating food flavoured with
engine oil!"
"Couldn't be any worse than pudding flavoured with onion extract,"
chuckled Joe, referring to a viand prepared by Ossie while at
Newburyport. Ossie had meant to put in a spoonful of vanilla, but the
two bottles looked so much alike--
The pudding was never eaten, unless the fish consumed it, and the
mention of it still caused Ossie great pain and humiliation.
They went into the water every morning before breakfast, lived almost
every minute in the open air--for even at night the
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