Page:Air Service Boys Flying for France.djvu/65

60 "Tom, after this you've got to be more careful than ever how you hang over the side of the boat when dark sets in," cautioned Jack. "It would be easy enough for a strong and desperate man to throttle you, search your person, and then chuck you overboard. Such men who could remorselessly sink women and babies aboard the Lusitania wouldn't hesitate about sacrificing one single life in the interest of the Fatherland."

"Oh, come, let's quit this sort of talk for a while, Jack. It's beginning to wear on our minds too much. We'll exercise all reasonable caution, and they'll find it a tough job to catch either of us napping. I challenge you to a game of deck quoits. That ought to keep us busy for an hour or so."

Jack, nothing loth, laughingly accepted the bantering offer, and so they were soon tossing the covered rings back and forth in the endeavor to drop them one after another over the stake that represented, the goal. It was not a very exciting amusement, but sufficed to divert their minds and keep them from worrying about the things they wished to forget temporarily.

When the hour was up Jack declared he had had quite enough, and was so far behind that there seemed no possible chance for him to catch up that time.