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April, 1909 "TAE Marine Review "In the Merchant Service.' "Anything wrong down below?" The second until this moment had been engrossed in the evening meal so Had failéd to notice 'that the third and his assistant were absent from the mess table." Also, tf there was anything wrong with the machinery in his charge he wanted to know about it. "Not:: that >-Pvel. heard' cot, «68 answered the steward. There was a momentary halt in the rattle of cut- lery and dishes and 'in the general conversation, but with the reassuring words of the steward the mess-room assumed its usual meal-time appear- ance. So long as the steward had re- ceived no orders to arrange for the late. arrival of the missing engineers "Tuey STARTED CLEANING THE- FIRE BELOW nothing serious was their non-appearance. Conversation, hitherto covering all manner of subjects, now asumed a professional turn, dué to the ape sénce of the thitd: They "were still discussing the probabilities of cer- tain parts of the auxiliary machinery having given out during the third's watch when that individual hurriedly entered the mess-room followed by his assistant and threw himself scowl- ing into his accustomed seat. _ "Hullo; Smith," Said' the Seerond, in a surprised tone, "something give out down below?" the cause of "Naw," grunted the third, "nothing gave out." | "Nothing 'warmed up?' asked the as was his privilege. second, lull (uu ne (io ~ hes . - 'ana Mosk ae We WERE PUTTING IN THE GLASS." ' perior T gid last winter, 57 "Naw," answered the still scowling engineer. 'Soup, steward." "Short of -- water, maybe?" The others grinned. It's great to have a humorous second. "SOUP!" The steward carefully balanced the plate of soup across the room and placed it on the table, and the third pitched in in scornful 'sil- ence. The others silently but smil- ingly filed out. Every ship cartfies a chronic grouch in one department or the other, The second was enjoying his after- dinner smoke when the third casually dropped in to talk things over. He was still scowling, ie "Say," (snarled the: third, "if this blessed old hooker isn't hoodooed, I'm a Dutchman!" "What's the trouble asked the second. "Well," said the third, as ie helped himself: to 'the: tobacco of his 'st- officer, "1 stppose that you are aware that it is dirty weather on deck and we are shipping seas down the boiler room?" "IT should guess as mented the second, "All watch it has been merry hell down there. Steam went away back, this 'time?' mitch," com- as the men couldn't get enough coal in front of their fires to keep things going. The floor plates were awash most of the time, too, and the ashes and coal got mixed. The men--" "But that is nothing unusual around this time of the year," the second in- terrupted. : "Aw, 'isn't 'it?' -. The men wowdnt work, either, on account of the seas coming down the air shafts. The men in the wings would skip out and leave their fires like a lot of fright- ened women every time a_ bucketful of water would come from on top." "Where were you while all this excitement was transpiring?" asked his listener, ; "Where was I? of it, of course!' Right in the thick "Got 'soaking wet, too, [ll bet," said the second sympathetically. "Naw, I didn't get wet. You see I didn't want to catch "4 chill 'like so most of the time I stayed in the shelter of the boilers," the third explained. "Good jridgment," commented the smiling sécond, - i "Sure. Then 'when we were tty- ing to get the ashes up the hoist gave out. I sent for the electrician to come and have a look at it, but he sent back word that he was busy in the pilot-house or some such other remote spot."