Page:The Wireless Operator with the U.S. Coast Guard.djvu/130

 stretches that we call watches. From noon to four o’clock is the afternoon watch; four to six is the first day watch, and six to eight is the second day watch. The evening watch is from eight to twelve midnight. That’s a favorite watch, as it means very little loss of sleep. The hard watch is from midnight to four That is the mid-watch, but we call it the graveyard watch. The watch from four to eight is the morning watch, and sometimes it is also called the navigator’s watch. That isn’t a bad watch, either. The other watch is from eight o’clock to noon, and is called the eight-to-twelve watch.”

“Gee!” exclaimed Henry. “There certainly is a lot to learn about a boat, isn’t there?”

“Right you are,” said the quartermaster. “I suppose nobody ever learns all there is to know about sailing a ship.”

By this time the two friends had reached the deck. At first Henry could see nothing in the thick darkness. Then, as he became accustomed to the night, he could make out all the features that had now become so familiar to him. Also, he saw some things that were not familiar to him. Little dark objects were moving about on the deck. At first Henry was not sure that he saw aright, but when he was certain that something really was moving, he said to his companion, “What is it that we see on the deck?”