Perry
suspected that Steve was working the whistle overtime, but realized that
too many precautions were better than too few. It was Perry's ambition
to learn navigation so that he might ultimately be entrusted with the
wheel, and to that end he stood at Steve's elbow until, when they gained
the Main Channel, Ossie's dulcet voice was heard proclaiming, "Grub,
fellows!" from below. Steve was rather too preoccupied to be very
informative, but Perry did manage to imbibe some information. For
instance, he learned that a sailing craft had the right of way over a
power craft, something he had not known previously, and observed that a
large proportion of them used that right to its limit. He got quite
incensed with a small, blunt-nosed schooner which insisted on crossing
the _Adventurer's_ course just as they were passing Fort Hamilton. Steve
had to slow down rather hurriedly to avoid a collision and Perry viewed
the two occupants of the schooner's deck with a scowl as they lazed
across the cruiser's bows.
"Cheeky beggars," he muttered.
He also learned the whistle code that morning: one blast for starboard,
two for port, four short blasts for danger and three for going astern.
Joe, who had applied oil to every part of the engine that he could
reach, supplied the added information that a sailboat under way on the
starboard tack had the right of way over anything afloat--with the
possible exception of a torpedo!--and that other craft had to turn to
port in passing them.
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