150 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



reliability of the power plant is of first impor- 

 tance in navigating about coral reefs. 



All, including the crew not on watch, finally 

 settled down for an afternoon of quiet resignation. 

 As many as could do so crowded into the cabin 

 and lay about in various attitudes suggestive of 

 discomfort or actual suffering. The floor of the 

 cabin seemed to be an exceptionally hard one, 

 but this evil could be mitigated somewhat by 

 gathering together as many clothes as possible 

 (not already appropriated by others) to form a 

 thin mattress and by using the edge of a steamer 

 trunk or suit case for a pillow. It remained always 

 a question whether it were better to stay below 

 where there was no air but it was dry, or go on 

 deck where there was an abundance of air but it 

 was wet. The solution of the problem seemed to 

 be found in that the other place was the better, 

 and a more or less continuous procession of the 

 discontented crawled up and down the ladder to 

 test out their theories on the subject. 



About 3 p.m. the rain ceased and a fine east 

 wind sprung up — the normal trade reasserting 

 itself — and immediately life became worth while. 

 The clearing skies revealed a water horizon back 



