"You did that all right," said Grant heartily. "The whole crew is crazy about you now, and String and Pop and I are certainly in the shade."

"I don't mind that part of it," said Pop. "All I say is, don't do it again. I couldn't stand another ten minutes like those."

"And I tell you one thing," said Grant. "It's lucky for you that the _Josephine_ had been brought up into the wind. If we had been tacking or beating or something like that you'd never had hung so quietly as you did."

"Are we anch.o.r.ed now?" asked Fred.

"Yes," said Grant. "We're going to stay here until the wind changes."

"When do you suppose that will be?"

"The captain says it'll probably swing around to the west to-night. As soon as it does we will get under way again."

"They can't do it too soon to suit me," exclaimed String. "I want to be out on the ocean, where you can't see a bit of land in any direction."

"That'll happen soon enough, once we get started," said Grant. "Then we'll probably wish we were on sh.o.r.e again."

At this moment the cook appeared with a bowl of smoking hot soup for Fred. The cook was named Sam and was as black as ebony.

"Wh'ars dat high diver?" he demanded as he entered the cabin.

"You mean me?" smiled Fred.

"I sho' do," said Sam. "You suttinly is some acrobat."

"Not again, I hope," said Fred fervently. "I hope my troubles are over."

As a matter of fact his troubles and his companions' had scarcely begun.

CHAPTER III

A SUPERSt.i.tIOUS COOK

"Ah's afraid ob dis heah boat," said Sam as he handed the soup to Fred and settled himself on the side of the bunk opposite.

"Afraid of it?" exclaimed Fred. "Why?"

"She's got de hoodoo," said Sam decidedly.

"Why, Sam," said Fred. "What do you mean by that?"

"She's got de hoodoo, dat's all."

"What makes you think so?"

"Because Ah feels dat way."

"But why do you feel that way?"

"Dey's a Jonah on board."

"You think so?"

"Ah sho' do," said Sam, nodding his ebony head violently up and down.

"Ah seen him come abo'd and Ah knowed right away dat we was gwine ter hab hard luck dis cruise."

"You know who the Jonah is, then, do you?" inquired Grant, somewhat amused by the black man's superst.i.tions.

"Ah done tol' you all Ah seen him come abo'd," said Sam.

"Who is he?"

"Dat Finn."

"What Finn?" demanded Fred. "What is his name?"

"Ah doan' know his name, but he am de Jonah all right."

"What does he look like?" asked Fred.

"Like all de Finns," said Sam. "Big, wid light hair."

"You don't mean Mr. Johnson, the mate, do you?" said Grant.

"Suttinly not. Mr. Johnson am a Swede."

"Who can it be, do you suppose?" asked Grant of Fred and String and Pop.

The four friends were much interested in what Sam had to say.

"Dey calls him Pete," said Sam.

"Not Petersen?" exclaimed Fred. "The man who went up the mast with me?"

"Dat's de one," said Sam with great conviction. "He am a Jonah. Jus' so long as he is on dis boat we is boun' to hab hard luck. He was de one who was responsible fo' you all doin' dat dive."

"How silly," laughed Fred. "You don't think he pushed me, do you?"

"Ah ain't sayin' as how he done actually pushed you," said Sam mysteriously. "All de same he was 'sponsible."

"Why do you suspect him, Sam?" asked String curiously.

"Because he am a Finn," said Sam.

"Is that the only reason?"