gh now, but in these latitudes one may
expect anything at any time. The Indian Ocean is as capricious in its
moods as a woman. I've seen it as quiet as this at noon, yet by
nightfall we'd run into such a storm that you'd think the ship would be
blown out of the water."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Stuart, with a little nervous laugh. "I hope
we shan't have any such experience. I'd die of fright."

"Don't worry, m'm," replied the captain reassuringly. "There's no sign
of a change." Gallantly he added: "I wouldn't hear of you ladies being
put to the slightest inconvenience. I'll see that this weather continues
until we arrive at Bombay."

"When do we get in, captain?" demanded Grace languidly.

"You're not getting tired of us, I hope," replied the commander, with a
laugh.

"Oh, no. I only want to know when I must begin to pack my trunks. You
know, we're going on a motor tour inland."

"Next Saturday we shall have the captain's dinner, with the dance
afterward," interrupted Mrs. Stuart. "So I suppose they expect to land
us Monday."

"How about that, captain?" demanded the professor.

Captain Summers looked at all three in an amused sort of way, and for a
moment made no answer. Then gruffly he said:

"A sailor of experience never ventures to make predictions. We are due
at Bombay next Monday. If all goes well, I expect to land my passengers
on that day. As Mrs. Stuart says, we shall entertain you at dinner and
give you a dance on deck next Saturday, in honor of our arrival. But if
anything delays us, don't be disappointed. We might run on a rock and go
to the bottom. Or we might break our propellers. If that happened, we
should be completely helpless. We might drift out of our course for
weeks before help could reach us."

"Oh, wouldn't that be awful!" cried Mrs. Stuart.

"How could we summon assistance?" asked Grace eagerly.

"By wireless, of course," broke in the professor, who assumed the air of
superior knowledge on every subject broached. "The invention of wireless
telegraphy has practically reduced the perils of seagoing to a
negligible minimum."

"Thank Heaven, we've got the wireless!" gasped Mrs. Stuart. "I could hug
the man who invented it--Macaroni--what's his name?"

"You mean Marconi, my dear madam," interposed the professor solemnly.

"The wireless is all right as far as it goes," said the captain grimly.
"Certainly its invention is a great step forward, but two things are
essential for its su