It's very pleasant to be greeted warmly, but there is such a thing as too warm a reception.
I'll allow you didn't see me coming, though if I thought you did, I'd chuck you overboard for that caper." [Illustration: "'Hold on, young man! One at a time is enough.'"] The speaker, who stood in the doorway striving to remove the mess of sticky mush that had struck him full in the breast and now covered a large portion of his body, including his face, was a man of middle age and respectable appearance, clad in a rubber suit and a slouched hat.
Filled with shame and contrition at this unexpected result of his foolish action, Winn was profuse in his apologies, and picking up the useful table-cloth that had already served him in one emergency, stepped forward with an offer of assistance.

The stranger waved him back, and removed the greater part of the mess by taking off his rubber coat.

At the same time he said: "There's no harm done, and worse might have happened.

You might have been pitching stove lids, or hot soup, or knives and forks, you know.
So, you see, I'm to be congratulated on getting off as well as I have.
But where is the boss of this raft, and the crew?
How did you happen to run in here out of the channel?
You are not alone, are you ?" "Yes, sir," replied Winn.

"I'm captain and crew and everything else just at present--excepting cook," he added, hastily, as he noted the stranger's amused glance at the stove and its surroundings.
"Who is cook, then ?" "There isn't any," answered Winn; "and for that reason there isn't any breakfast, nor likely to be any, for I'll starve before I try my hand at it again." "There seems to be plenty of breakfast, such as it is," said the stranger, gravely, indicating by a glance the many pans of spoiled mush.