of safety after a period of excitement and danger,
however, brought about a lethargy that only rest and sleep could dispel,
and with heavy eyes and weary legs they dragged themselves aft to their
stateroom, and crawling into their bunks, fully dressed as they were,
fell into a heavy sleep despite the disgusted protests of Mason, who was
finally obliged to leave them to their dreamless slumber.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE ESCAPE FROM THE LAGOON

When the boys awoke it was dark again. They had slept through the day
without a break. Mason, who had been hovering around restlessly all day,
poked his head into the stateroom just as Harry was rubbing his eyes.

"O, say, you chaps, have you returned to life again? Do you know you
have been pounding your ears for thirteen hours?"

"Where are we, Midget?" asked Harry, yawning.

"Still in the blooming lagoon."

"Oh, yes, I remember now." Harry sighed comfortably and turned over.

"Oh, say, you fellows; turn out. You have had sleep enough and I am as
lonely as a cow in a strange pasture. You've had all the fun; now the
least you can do is to get up and tell me about it."

"Fun, eh?" said Bert, who had been awakened by the conversation. "I wish
you had had my part of the enjoyment. More quiet amusement will do for
me."

"I am as hungry as a bear," said Harry, jumping out of bed. "If you
won't let us sleep we must eat. Have you had supper yet?"

"No; Cap said he was going to wait until you waked up."

"All right; if you'll get a bucket of water we'll be ready in short
order. I've got to wash up. I'm as dirty as a digger Indian."

When Harry turned out he found his own suit, carefully mended and
pressed, laid out over a chair. He gladly discarded his badly fitting
Spanish uniform, and after a good wash, donned his own clothing again
and made quite a presentable appearance as he walked out on deck, where
he found O'Connor and Miss Juanita and her mother lounging lazily in
steamer chairs.

O'Connor jumped up and warmly welcomed the boys, and Miss Juanita
insisted upon presenting them to her mother as "the brave American lads
who had saved her from the vengeance of General Serano."

"And now, youngsters," said O'Connor, as soon as they had blushingly
acknowledged the warmly expressed gratitude of Miss Juanita's mother, "I
know you are hungry and dinner waits. My Waldorf chef has done himself
proud in honor of the occasion and George Wash Jenks, his assistant, has
begg