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152 At last the fire captain came up, blinking his eyes and shaking the water from his clothing. He looked as black as a negro.

"It's out, sir," he reported, saluting the officer of the deck.

"All out?"

"Yes, sir, although we had better watch for sparks when the half-burned stuff is removed."

"Yes, be very careful. We'll pitch it overboard at once."

Extra men were sent below, and they soon came up, carrying the burned and wet straw in their arms. In ten minutes all was cleared away, and then followed such a scrubbing and cleaning up as I had never seen before.

"The carpenter will have a day's work here," observed Dan, as we surveyed the scene of the fire. "But we can thank God that it was no worse."

"So say I," was my answer. "I don't want any more sunken ships in mine. The Dart was sufficient."

The day to follow was uneventful. It was clear and hot, so hot in fact that, during the noon-day hours, nobody could remain on deck. In the turrets and conning tower it was suffocating.

"I feel as if I was half baked," said Dan, as