We will now assign the berths in the steerage to the crew." As the boys came on board, they had taken the berths as they pleased.
Shuffles had selected a room, and invited his "cronies" to occupy the bunks it contained with him.

The berths were now to be distributed by lot.

Professor Mapps had provided seventy-two slips of paper, on each of which he had written a number.

The boys were mustered into line, and drew out these numbers from the package.

As each student drew his slip, the purser wrote down his name in a book, with the number he had drawn.
In the steerage, each berth had its own number, which was also applied to a locker, and a seat at one of the mess tables.