72 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



the sloop had begun to pitch heavily and we set ourselves to 

 solve the problems of unstable equilibrium, which constantly 

 shifting angles of 30 to 40 presented in both floor and walls. 

 By courtesy we called our domicile a cabin, and we found 

 that it would hold two people at a pinch! 



We unearthed our unused pneumatic mattresses and 

 rigged up our gilded foot pump. For fifteen minutes W 



FIG. 40. OUR SLOOP AT GUANOCO. 



worked, then the mate was called and took a hand. Were we 

 on a sinking ship and manning the pumps for our lives, 

 greater exertions could not have been made, and the reward 

 was a thin film of air within the rubber bed. Then we un- 

 screwed the decorative but useless contrivance, and W 

 began to blow. This proved effective, and in a few minutes 

 we had placed the soft, air-filled cushions in our respective 

 bunks. We dubbed these bunks catacombs at once, for the 



