Meanwhile success met the efforts of the
firemen and soon a good-sized blaze was roaring in spite of wind and
mist. They had located it as near the foot of the cliff as possible and,
although the smoke made itself disagreeable by billowing out in their
faces, it was thereby somewhat sheltered from the elements. Steve and
Joe made three trips and brought back frying-pan, coffee-pot and smaller
utensils, as well as provisions, and a half-hour later they were
beginning a supplementary breakfast of bacon and coffee. And if anything
in all the wide world, from the time of Noah to that of the Adventure
Club, ever tasted sublime to a shipwrecked mariner it was that same
bacon and coffee!
When they had finished, Phil's watch--the only one of six which had
neither run down for lack of winding or been incapacitated by immersion
in salt water--gave the hour as twenty minutes past seven. Comforted by
food and drink, they warmed themselves at the fire and waited for the
tide to recede far enough to allow a survey of the _Adventurer_. The
comfort was too much for Perry and he fell asleep with his feet almost
in the embers and his head on a rock and slumbered emphatically. At last
the line of breakers was well astern of the cruiser and the boys,
leaving their stockings to dry by the fire and rolling their trousers
up, began their investigation.
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