"Watch us and you'll see," said the bow-plates, proudly. "Ready,
behind there! Here's the father and mother of waves coming! Sit
tight, rivets all!" A great sluicing comber thundered by, but
through the scuffle and confusion the Steam could hear the low,
quick cries of the ironwork as the various strains took them -
cries like these: "Easy, now - easy! Now push for all your
strength! Hold out! Give a fraction! Hold up! Pull in! Shove
crossways! Mind the strain at the ends! Grip, now! Bite tight!
Let the water get away from under - and there she goes!"

The wave raced off into the darkness, shouting, "Not bad, that,
if it's your first run!" and the drenched and ducked ship throbbed
to the beat of the engines inside her. All three cylinders were
white with the salt spray that had come down through the engine-room
hatch; there was white fur on the canvas-bound steam-pipes, and
even the bright-work deep below was speckled and soiled; but the
cylinders had learned to make the most of steam that was half water,
and were pounding along cheerfully.

"How's the noblest outcome of human ingenuity hitting it?" said
the Steam, as he whirled through the engine-room.

"Nothing for nothing in this world of woe," the cylinders answered,
as though they had been working for centuries, "and precious little
for seventy-five pounds head. We've made two knots this last hour
and a quarter! Rather humiliating for eight hundred horse-power,
isn't it?"

"Well, it's better than drifting astern, at any rate. You seem
rather less - how shall I put it - stiff in the back than you