"And it was dreadfully messy, too. But this is the real thing, fellows!
Why, this old hooker might take it into her head to go down _ker-plop_
any minute!"
"Huh," replied Wink Wheeler, "that may be your idea of the real thing,
Perry, but it isn't mine. I'm just as strong for adventure as you,
sonny, but I prefer mine on top of the water and not underneath!"
"Shucks," said Joe, "this thing can't sink. Look at all the lumber on
her!"
"Yes, but it might get water-logged," suggested Bert from the door of
the deck-house. "Wood does, doesn't it?"
"Not for a long time," said Joe. "Years, maybe. And this lumber's new.
You can tell by the looks of it."
"Well, don't be to sure," advised Perry, darkly. "You never can tell.
And there's another thing, too. We're top-heavy, with all these boards
piled up on deck here, and if a storm came up we might easily turn
turtle."
"Oh, dry up," said Han. "You're worse than Poe's raven. Besides, she
couldn't turn over, you idiot, as long as the lumber floated. She'd have
to stay right-side up."
"Wish we had a barometer aboard," said Joe. "We'd know what to expect
then."
"You mean we'd know what you'd tell us to expect," replied Perry
ironically. "And then we'd get something else.
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