able. Too much sunshine becomes as unbearable as
too much cloudiness.

The sea went down, when the fog came up and the waters took on a steely
color under their blanket of gray, rolling on, in that monotonous
meditation that holds the mystery of forgotten ages in its brooding.

"Here's where you will sleep, boys," said Old Pete, who had been
appointed by the Captain to have special charge over their education.
"The men won't have you in the fo'castle, and it's pretty crowded there
anyway."

"This will suit us, sir," replied Juarez. He did not call him Pop, as
he would have on the land. This was the sea and had its own rules and
customs, therefore Old Pete received his due of respect. But in his
rough way he was not unfriendly towards the boys, for he remembered that
they had given him friendly advice, when he was aboard that strange
craft, a horse, the night before.

The place where the boys were to sleep was a sort of cubby hole in the
bow of the boat, that was roofed over and where anchor chains and other
junk was sometimes kept. It was not over four feet high, five in width
at the broadest and narrowing to the bow.

A rude place to sleep in, but what did the Frontier Boys care for that?
They could scarcely count the nights that they had slept out on the
ground, and in bad weather too. They had a blanket apiece, and a
tarpaulin to pull over them.

The blankets they had spread out on the floor of the cubby hole and they
found that the tarpaulin made a mighty warm protective covering, keeping
out the damp sea air in fine style.

"Where do you suppose we are heading for, Juarez?" inquired Tom.

"Maybe a port in Mexico or South America and then again we may head for
Hawaii before we intend to."

"We are going South now, though," said Tom.

"If we run in close to the coast, we'll jump overboard, and swim for
it," said Juarez.

"We could do it if we get within a mile," said Tom, "if it is not too
rough."

Just then Juarez put his hand over Tom's mouth, he felt sure that
someone was listening or was preparing to. Juarez ran his fingers
carefully over the boards until he found where a hole had been bored
through the planking a little back of their heads. It was just as he had
suspected, someone was listening to hear what plans they would make.

With the noiselessness characteristic of him when scouting, Juarez crept
out partially and cautiously raised his head until he caught sight of
the sole of a man's boot