seemed far away behind him, so far away that he now felt
like a man of twenty-five rather than like a boy of eighteen. He was
beginning to realise that age is not always governed by years alone, but
that experience does much to make one old.

As soon as the transport had anchored in the bay, Archie went aboard to
present his credentials to the commanding officer. He found the general
very pleasant to meet, and a very appreciative listener as he told of
his scheme for overtaking the transport. The officer was surprised,
of course, that such a young fellow should be going to the islands as
correspondent, but the things he said were very encouraging to Archie,
"I tell you what," the general remarked, at one time during the
conversation, "I believe that a young fellow like Dunn, here, can find
out a great many more interesting things than an older man could ever
discover. You see the youngster has ambition and energy on his side,
and ambition and energy are two mighty powerful things when they're
combined. I'd hate to buck up against 'em myself." The other officers
agreed with the general in this remark, and Archie began to feel that,
after all, he might not have such a hard time finding interesting things
to write about as he had expected.

The transport remained in port but one day, and in thirty hours after
her arrival Archie found himself sailing again over the blue Pacific.
The weather, for a few days, was almost perfect. A cloudless sky
overhead, a warm breeze from the west, and a smooth sea made things very
pleasant aboard ship, and Archie began to realise that there are times
when it is delightful to be at sea. The vessel was very much overcrowded
with troops, and the sleeping quarters were but little more pleasant
than aboard the liner. Archie shared a stateroom with three sergeants,
and they managed to have a lively time during the voyage. They played
games, told stories, and slept in the afternoons, but all this, of
course, grew rather tiresome after a time, and the voyage was becoming
monotonous, when there came a severe storm which kept things moving for
three days.

None of the navigating officers had expected a gale, so that when it
came every one was taken wholly by surprise, and it came so suddenly
that there was no time at all for preparation. The sky became quickly
dark one afternoon about three o'clock, and soon the whole horizon was a
mass of great black clouds, which every moment seemed to come lower