e careful that
you don't tumble overboard." And then he spoke to Tom through the
tube and asked the amateur engineer to play fireman also for the time
being.

Wrapped in the raincoat, and with a cap pulled far down over his
head, Sam took up his station near the bow, clinging to the rail for
protection. He knew their safety depended in good part on keeping a
sharp lookout and he eyed the darkness ahead closely. So far there
had been little lightning and scarcely any thunder, but now the
rumbling increased until there came a crash and a flare that made
all on the _Mermaid_ jump.

"Did that hit us?" yelled Tom up the tube.

"No, but it was pretty close," answered Dick,

"Where is Sam now?"

"At the forward rail. I can see nothing from the wheelhouse."

"If it gets much worse you had better come below and let the boat
run itself, Dick."

"I can't do that, Tom--I must stick to my post."

Another half-hour went by, and there was no let up in the fury of
the storm. Poor Sam was almost exhausted and, tying the wheel fast
for the time being, Dick went to him.

"Better come in," he said. "If you'll take the wheel I'll stay out
here. Just keep her straight before the storm."

"All right," panted poor Sam, and made his way back to the wheelhouse
step by step, and holding on to whatever was handy, to keep from
being swept overboard.

Sam had interested himself in steering from the start and knew how
to handle a wheel moderately well. He looked at the compass and saw
that they were running almost due east, varying a little to the
southward. He untied the wheel and kept to the course with but little
trouble.

"Dick has gone on the lookout," he explained to Tom. And then he
added: "You've got the best job to-night."

"I'd come up, if you could run the engine," was Tom's reply.

"No, you had better attend to that, Tom."

"Doesn't the storm seem to be letting up?"

"Not a particle. If anything it is growing worse."

"It must be a hurricane."

"It is--or next door to it," answered the youngest of the Rovers.

The thunder and lightning appeared to draw closer, until the steam
yacht was literally surrounded by the electrical display. The flashes
of lightning were so blinding that, for the moment afterward, neither
Sam nor Dick could see anything. Sam tried to keep the windows of
the pilot house fairly clean, but the effort was a dismal failure.

Presently came one awful flash and crash that caused Sam to sink bac