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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dick Leslie's Luck, by Harry Collingwood
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Dick Leslie's Luck
+       A Story of Shipwreck and Adventure
+
+Author: Harry Collingwood
+
+Illustrator: Harold Piffard
+
+Release Date: January 27, 2009 [EBook #27909]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK LESLIE'S LUCK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
+
+
+
+
+Dick Leslie's Luck, by Harry Collingwood.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE.
+
+A MARITIME DISASTER.
+
+The night was as dark as the inside of a cow!  Mr Pryce, the chief mate
+of the full-rigged sailing ship _Golden Fleece_--outward-bound to
+Melbourne--was responsible for this picturesque assertion; and one had
+only to glance for a moment into the obscurity that surrounded the ship
+to acknowledge the truth of it.
+
+For, to begin with, it was four bells in the first watch--that is to
+say, ten o'clock p.m.; then it also happened to be the date of the new
+moon; and, finally, the ship was just then enveloped in a fog so dense
+that, standing against the bulwarks on one side of the deck, it was
+impossible to see across to the opposite rail.  It was Mr Pryce's
+watch; but the skipper--Captain Rainhill--was also on deck; and together
+the pair assiduously promenaded the poop, to and fro, pausing for a
+moment to listen and peer anxiously into the thickness to windward every
+time that they reached the break of the poop at one end of their walk,
+and the stern grating at the other.
+
+Now, a dark and foggy night at sea is an anxious time for a skipper; but
+the anxiety is multiplied tenfold when, as in the present case, the
+skipper is responsible not only for the safety of a valuable ship and
+cargo, but also for many human lives.  For the _Golden Fleece_ was a
+magnificent clipper ship of two thousand eight hundred tons register,
+quite new--this being her maiden voyage, while she carried a cargo,
+consisting chiefly of machinery, valued at close upon one hundred
+thousand pounds sterling; and there were thirty-six passengers in her
+cuddy, together with one hundred and thirty emigrants--mostly men--in
+the 'tween decks.  And there was also, of course, her crew.
+
+For a reason that will shortly become apparent, it is unnecessary to
+introduce any of the above-mentioned persons to the reader--with two
+exceptions.  Of these two exceptions one was a girl some three and
+twenty years of age, of medium height, perfect figure, lovely features
+crowned by an extraordinary wealth of sunny chestnut wavy hair with a
+glint of ruddy gold in it where the sun struck it, and a pair of
+marvellous dark blue eyes.  Her beauty of face and form was perfect; and
+she would have been wonderfully attractive but for the unfortunate fact
+that her manner towards everybody was characterised by a frigid hauteur
+that at once effectually discouraged the slightest attempt to establish
+one's self on friendly terms with her.  It was abundantly clear that she
+was a spoiled child, in the most pronounced acceptation of the term, and
+would be likely to remain so all her life unless some extraordinary
+circumstance should haply intervene to break down her repellent pride,
+and bring to the surface those sterling qualities of character that ever
+and anon seemed struggling for an opportunity to assert themselves.  Her
+name was Flora Trevor; her father was an Indian judge; and, accompanied
+by her maid, and chaperoned--nominally, at least--by a friend and former
+schoolfellow of her mother, she was now proceeding on a visit to some
+relatives in Australia prior to joining her father at Bombay.
+
+The other exception was a man, of thirty-two years of age--but who
+looked very considerably older.  He stood six feet one inch in his
+socks; was of exceptionally muscular build, without an ounce of
+superfluous flesh anywhere about him; rather thin and worn-looking as to
+face--which was clean-shaven and tinted a ruddy bronze, as though the
+owner had been long accustomed to exposure to the weather; of a gloomy
+and saturnine cast of countenance; and a manner so cold and
+unapproachable that, although on this particular night he had been on
+board the _Golden Fleece_ just a fortnight, no one in the ship knew
+anything more about him than that he went by the name of Richard Leslie;
+and that he was--like the rest of the passengers--on his way to
+Australia.
+
+Now, there is no need to make a secret of this man's history; on the
+contrary, a brief sketch of it will lead to a tolerably clear
+understanding of much that would otherwise prove incomprehensible in his
+character and actions.  Let it be said, therefore, at once, that he was
+the second, and at one time favourite, son of the Earl of Swimbridge,
+whom the whole world knows to be beyond all question the proudest member
+of the British peerage.  Amiable, generous, high-spirited, and with
+every trait of the best type of the British gentleman fully developed in
+him, this son had joined the British navy at an early age, as a
+midshipman, and had made rapid progress in the profession of his
+choice--to his father's unbounded satisfaction and delight--up to a
+certain point.  Then, when he was within a few months of his
+twenty-fifth birthday, a horrible thing happened.  Without a shadow of
+warning, and like a bolt from the blue, disgrace and disaster fell upon
+and morally destroyed him; and almost in a moment the once favoured
+child of good fortune found himself an outcast from home and society;
+disowned by those nearest and dearest to him; with every hope and
+aspiration blasted; branded as a felon; and his whole life ruined, as it
+seemed to him, irretrievably.  In his father's house, and while enjoying
+a short period of well-earned leave, he was arrested upon a charge of
+forgery and embezzlement; and, after a short period of imprisonment,
+tried, found guilty, and sentenced to a period of seven years' penal
+servitude!  Vain were all his protestations of innocence; vain his
+counsel's representation that there was no earthly motive for such a
+crime on the part of his client; the evidence adduced against him was so
+overwhelmingly complete and convincing--although the greater part of it
+was circumstantial--that his protestations were regarded as a positive
+aggravation of his offence; and the last news that reached him ere the
+prison gates closed upon him were that the girl who had promised to be
+his wife had already given herself to his rival; while his father,
+stricken to earth by the awful blow to his family pride, as well as to
+his affection, was not expected to live.
+
+That so fearfully crushing a catastrophe should have fallen with
+paralysing effect upon the moral nature of the convict himself was only
+what might naturally be expected.  With the pronouncement of that
+terrible sentence by the judge the victim's character underwent a
+complete and instantaneous transformation, as was evidenced by the fact
+that to him the worst feature of the case seemed to be that he was
+innocent!  He felt that had he been guilty he could have borne his
+punishment, because he would have richly merited it; but that, being
+_innocent_, he should thus be permitted to suffer such abasement and
+disgrace seemed incomprehensible to him; the injustice of it appeared to
+him so rank, so colossal, as to destroy within him, in a moment, every
+atom of his former faith in the existence of a God of justice and of
+mercy!  And with his loss of faith in God went his faith in man.  Every
+good instinct at once seemed to die within him; while as for life,
+henceforth it could be to him only an intolerable burden to be laid down
+at the first convenient opportunity.
+
+Feeling thus, as he did, full of rebellion against fate, full of anger
+and resentment against his fellow-man for the bitterly cruel injustice
+that had been meted out to him, and kicking hard against the pricks
+generally, it was scarcely to be expected that he would prove very
+amenable to the harsh discipline of prison life; and as a matter of fact
+he did not; he was very careful to avoid the committal of any offence
+sufficiently serious to bring down upon him the disgrace of a flogging--
+that crowning shame he could not have endured and continued to live--
+but, short of that, he was so careless and intractable a prisoner, and
+gave so much trouble and annoyance to the warders in charge of him, that
+he earned none of those good marks whereby a prisoner can purchase the
+remission of a certain proportion of his sentence; and as a result he
+served the full term of his imprisonment, every moment of which seemed
+crowded with the tortures of hell!  And when at length he emerged once
+more into the world, he did so as a thoroughly soured, embittered,
+cynical, utterly hopeless and reckless man, without a shred of faith in
+anything that was good.
+
+The first thing that he learned, upon attaining his freedom, was that
+although the Earl, his father, had, after all, survived the shock of his
+son's disgrace, he had made a solemn vow never to forgive him, never to
+see him again, and never to have any communication with him.  He had,
+however, made arrangements with his solicitors that his son should be
+met at the prison gates and conveyed thence to London, where he was
+lodged in a quiet hotel until arrangements could be made for his
+shipment off to Australia.  This was quickly done; and within a week of
+his release the young man, under the assumed name of Richard Leslie,
+found himself a saloon passenger on board the _Golden Fleece_, with a
+plain but sufficient outfit for the voyage, and one hundred pounds in
+his pocket to enable him to make a new start in life at the antipodes;
+the gift of the money, however, was accompanied by a request from the
+Earl that he would never again show his face in England, or even in
+Europe.
+
+At the moment when this story opens the sound of the ship's bell--upon
+which "four bells" had just been struck--was still vibrating upon the
+wet, fog-laden air; the steerage passengers were all below, and most of
+them in their bunks; while the cuddy people, with one solitary
+exception, were in the brilliantly lighted saloon, amusing themselves
+with cards, books, and music.  The exception was Leslie, who, having
+changed out of his dress clothes into a comfortable suit of blue serge,
+was down in the waist of the ship, smoking a gloomily retrospective
+pipe.  The ship's reckoning, that day, had placed her, at noon, in
+Latitude 32 degrees 10 minutes North, and Longitude 26 degrees 55
+minutes West; she was therefore about midway between the parallels of
+Madeira and Teneriffe, but some four hundred miles, or thereabouts, to
+the westward of those islands.  The wind was blowing a moderate breeze
+from about south-east by South; and the ship, close-hauled on the port
+tack, and with all plain sail set, to her royals, was heading
+south-west, and going through the water at the rate of a good honest
+seven knots.  The helmsman was steering by compass, and not by the
+sails, since it was impossible to see anything above a dozen feet up
+from the deck; hence the ship was going along with everything a-rap
+full.
+
+Captain Rainhill was very far from being easy in his mind.  Seven knots,
+he meditated, was a good pace at which to be sailing through a fog thick
+enough to cut with a knife, and would mean something very much like
+disaster if the ship happened to run up against anything, particularly
+if that "anything" happened also to be travelling at about the same
+speed in the opposite direction; from this point of view, therefore, the
+speed of the _Golden Fleece_ just then constituted a decided element of
+danger.  On the other hand, however, it enabled her to promptly answer
+her helm, and thus might be the means of enabling her to swerve quickly
+aside and so avoid any danger that might suddenly loom up out of the fog
+around her; and in this sense it became a safeguard.  Then there was the
+fact that the _Golden Fleece_ was no longer in a crowded part of the
+ocean; it was three days since they had sighted a craft of any
+description, and there might be at that moment nothing within a couple
+of hundred miles of them, in which case there was absolutely nothing to
+fear.  Furthermore, his owners made an especial point of persistently
+impressing upon their captains the great importance of--nay, more, the
+urgent necessity for--making quick passages; there were two keen-eyed
+lookouts stationed upon the topgallant-forecastle, and between them a
+third man provided with a fog-horn, upon which he at brief intervals
+blew the weirdest of blasts.  Taking into consideration all these
+circumstances the skipper finally decided to leave things as they were,
+and put his trust in the "sweet little cherub that sits up aloft to look
+after the life of poor Jack."
+
+"Five bells" pealed out upon the dank air, and the responsive cry of
+"All's well" from the look-outs came wailing aft from the forecastle.
+Leslie's pipe was out.  He knocked out the dead ashes, and turned to go
+below.  Then, considering the matter further, he decided that it was
+full early yet to turn in, and, sauntering across the deck to the port
+rail, he stood gazing abstractedly out to windward as he slowly filled
+his pipe afresh.  The man with the fog-horn was still industriously
+blowing long blasts to windward when, ruthlessly cutting into one of
+these, there suddenly came--from apparently close at hand, on the port
+bow--the loud discordant yell of a steam syren; and the next instant
+three lights--red, green, and white, arranged in the form of an
+isosceles triangle--broke upon Leslie's gaze with startling suddenness
+through the dense fog, broad on the port bow of the _Golden Fleece_.  A
+large steamer, coming along at full speed, was close aboard and heading
+straight for the sailing ship!
+
+Leslie's professional training at once asserted itself and, as a
+frenzied shout of "Steamer broad on the port bow!" came pealing aft from
+the throats of the two startled lookouts, he made a single bound for the
+poop ladder, crying, in a voice that rang through the ship, from stem to
+stern--
+
+"Port! hard a-port, for your life!  Over with the wheel, for God's
+sake!"
+
+His cry was broken in upon by a mad jangling of engine-room bells
+accompanied by a perfect babel of excited shouts--evidently in some
+foreign tongue--on board the stranger, mingled with equally excited
+shouts and the sudden trampling of feet forward, and loud-voiced
+commands from Captain Rainhill on the poop.  As Leslie reached the head
+of the poop ladder the steamer crashed with terrific force into the port
+side of the ill-fated _Golden Fleece_, just forward of the fore rigging.
+So tremendous was the shock that every individual who happened at the
+moment to be on his, or her, feet on board the sailing ship was thrown
+to the deck; while, as for the ship herself, she was heeled over by it
+until the water poured like a cataract in over her starboard topgallant
+rail; there was a horrid crunching sound as the ponderous iron bows of
+the steamer irresistibly clove their way through the wooden side and
+decks of the ship; a loud twanging aloft told of severed rigging; there
+was a terrifying crash of breaking spars overhead; and then, all in a
+moment, as it seemed, the main deck and poop became alive with
+shrieking, shouting, distraught people rushing aimlessly hither and
+thither, and excitedly demanding of each other what was the matter.
+
+The skipper, confounded for the moment by the appalling suddenness of
+the catastrophe, quickly recovered himself and, turning to the chief
+mate, ordered him to go forward to investigate the extent of the damage.
+Then, finding Mr Ferris, the second mate, at his elbow, he said--
+
+"Mr Ferris, muster the watches at once--port watch to the port side,
+and starboard watch to the starboard side--and set them to work to clear
+away the boats for launching.  Where is the chief steward?"
+
+"Here, sir," answered the individual in question, forcing his way
+through the excited crowd that surrounded the skipper.
+
+"Good!" ejaculated Rainhill.  "Muster your stewards, sir, and turn-to
+upon the job of getting provisions and water up on deck for the boats.
+And, as you go, pass the word for all passengers to dress in their
+warmest clothing, and make up in packages any valuables that they may
+desire to take with them in the event of our being obliged to leave the
+ship.  But they must leave their luggage behind; there will be no room
+for luggage in the boats.  And tell any of them who may be below to
+complete their preparations and come on deck without delay."
+
+At this moment Mr Pryce, having completed his investigations forward,
+came rushing up the poop ladder and, wild with excitement, shouted to
+the skipper--
+
+"We can't live five minutes, sir!  We are cut down from rail to bilge;
+there is a hole in our side big enough to drive a coach and six through,
+and the water is pouring into her like a sluice!"
+
+"And where is the steamer?" demanded the skipper.
+
+"She has backed out, and vanished in the fog," answered the mate.
+
+"My God! what an appalling mess," ejaculated the distracted skipper.
+"And all through the lubberly carelessness of those foreign fellows, who
+were too lazy to sound their syren until they were aboard of us!  Now,
+Mr Ferris, what is the news of the boats?  Hurry up and get them into
+the water as smartly as possible.  Back the main-yard, Mr Pryce."
+
+This mention of the boats, added to the ill-advised candour of the
+mate's loudly proclaimed statement as to the condition of the ship, took
+immediate hold upon the mob of anxiously listening people who were
+crowding round the two men, and galvanised them into sudden, breathless
+activity; hitherto they had only vaguely realised that what had happened
+_might_ possibly mean danger to them; now, in a flash, it dawned upon
+them, one and all, that they were the victims of a ghastly disaster, and
+that death was actually staring them in the face!  And therewith a mad,
+unreasoning panic took possession of them, and with one accord they made
+a rush for the boats.
+
+"Stand back, there; stand back, I say, and leave the men room to work,"
+yelled the skipper.  "Do you hear, there, you people from the steerage?
+Stand back, as you value your lives!  Do you want to drown yourselves
+and everybody else?  Here, Mr Pryce, lend me a hand to keep these
+madmen in order.  Back, every man of you; get off this poop--"
+
+He might as well have appealed to and attempted to reason with the ocean
+that was pouring in through the gash in the ship's side!  It is doubtful
+whether any one of those to whom he addressed himself heard him; if they
+did they certainly took no notice.  In a moment the ship's crew were
+swept away from the davits and tackle falls, and in another the maddened
+mob, with a wild yell of "We're sinking, we're sinking!" were struggling
+together, striking and trampling down everybody who happened to be in
+the way, and fighting desperately with each other for a place in the
+boats, that had been swung out and were ready for lowering.  The skipper
+and the mate dashed manfully into the thick of the _melee_, no doubt
+hoping that their authority, and the habit of discipline that was being
+gradually cultivated among the emigrants would enable them to stem the
+tide of panic that was raging, and restore order for at least the few
+minutes that were needed to get the boats into the water.  In vain! the
+two men were visible for a moment, fighting desperately, side by side;
+then they went down before that maniacal charge--in which the cuddy
+passengers had by this time joined--and were seen no more.
+
+As for Leslie, the nearest approach to happiness that had been his for
+more than seven years came to him now with the conviction that he was at
+last face to face with inevitable, kindly Death.  He had endured seven
+years of physical misery and mental torment because he had too much grit
+to resort to the cowardly expedient of taking his own life; but now,
+_now_ fate--he no longer believed in the existence of such a being as
+God--fate had taken pity upon him and, through no act of his own, he was
+going to be relieved of his intolerable burden.  For he knew that, with
+that fighting mob of raging maniacs struggling madly round the boats,
+escape was a sheer impossibility, and that in a few minutes--or hours,
+at the outside--for he was a strong swimmer--he would go down inanimate
+into the dark depths, and his load of disgrace and humiliation would
+fall from him for ever.
+
+So, serene and contented in mind, he stood well back beyond the outer
+fringe of that frantic, swaying, cursing crowd, and cynically watched
+its proceedings.  The scene upon which he gazed was precisely what he
+had expected from the moment when those three ill-omened lights had
+burst through the fog and told him that the _Golden Fleece_ was a doomed
+ship.  Here was selfishness supremely triumphant, beating down and
+eradicating in a moment every nobler instinct of humanity.  It was
+"Every man for himself" with a vengeance; women and children were struck
+out of men's way with horrid curses and savage, murderous blows; men
+were fighting together like furious beasts; knives were out, blood was
+flowing freely, and the air was clamorous with shrieks, groans, and
+imprecations; the whole accentuated and made still more dreadful by the
+loud clash of dangling wreckage aloft, and the awful creaking and
+groaning of the riven hull as it writhed upon the low swell to the
+gurgling and sobbing and splashing sound of the water alongside and
+under the counter; the weird and horror-inspiring effect being still
+further intensified by the hollow moaning of the night wind over the
+heaving surface of the deep.  The struggling crowd was no longer human,
+save in shape; it had become a mob of senseless, raging demons!
+
+Blind, insensate selfishness!  Yes; that was the motive that dominated
+every individual in that seething crowd.  Had they but kept their heads
+and listened to poor Captain Rainhill, had they but helped instead of
+hindered, all might have been well.  Many hands make light and quick
+work; and had every man there devoted but a tithe of the energy he was
+now displaying to the task of helping the crew to launch the boats it is
+possible that every life on board might have been saved.  But, as it
+was, the boats hung there at the davits, crowded far beyond their utmost
+capacity with men who ignorantly sought to lower themselves, while
+others fought and struggled with the occupants for the places that they
+had secured; and nothing useful was done.
+
+Meanwhile, although not one of that crowd of mad folk seemed to be aware
+of the fact, the ship was settling down with awful rapidity.  Already
+she was sunk to her channels, and was heaving heavily upon the swell
+with the slow, deadly sluggishness of movement that, to the initiated,
+told so plainly that her end was nigh.
+
+Now, utterly hopeless as Leslie's future appeared to him, impossible as
+seemed to be the task of ever rehabilitating himself in the eyes of the
+world, crushed as he was by the burden of his disgrace, and glad as he
+was at the prospect of deliverance from all his misery through the
+kindly agency of death, it was characteristic of him that, even now, at
+the supreme moment of his impending deliverance, his self-respect
+imperiously demanded of him that at all costs must he eschew even the
+faintest taint of so cowardly an act as that of suicide; if death were
+really close at hand--as it certainly appeared to be--well and good; it
+was what he was hoping for, and would be thrice welcome.  Nevertheless,
+he felt it incumbent upon himself that he should take full advantage of
+such slender aids to escape as happened to present themselves; and
+accordingly, as the bows of the ship became depressed, while the stern
+rose in the air, telling that the _Golden Fleece_ was about to take her
+final dive, he mechanically sprang to the taffrail and, disengaging a
+life-buoy that hung there, passed it over his shoulders and up under his
+armpits.  Then, climbing upon the rail, he leapt unhesitatingly into the
+black, heaving water below him at the precise moment when a loud wail of
+indescribable anguish and despair from the frantic crowd fighting about
+the boats told that to them, too, had at last come the realisation of
+imminent doom.
+
+As Leslie struck the water and floated there, supported by the
+life-buoy, the rudder and stern-post of the ship hove themselves slowly
+out of the water close alongside him until the keel, for a length of
+some thirty feet, was exposed; then the huge hull began to slide forward
+and away from him with an ever-quickening motion until, with a rush, a
+weird whistling of air escaping from the ship's interior that mingled
+horribly with the shrieks of those on deck, and a dull booming as the
+decks were burst up, the fabric plunged headlong and was gone!
+
+Then came the deadly suction of the sinking ship; the waters poured from
+all round, like a raging torrent, into the swirling hollow where the
+craft had been; and as Leslie felt himself caught and dragged
+irresistibly toward the vortex he instinctively drew a deep breath,
+filling his lungs to their utmost capacity with air in readiness for the
+long submergence that he knew was coming.
+
+Another moment and it had come; the tumbling waters had closed over him,
+and he felt himself being dragged down, down, down, and whirled
+helplessly hither and thither as he clung resolutely to his life-buoy.
+As he continued to descend he was constantly reminded that he was not
+alone in this frightful plunge into the depths; he several times came
+into more or less violent contact with objects, some at least of which
+were certainly struggling human beings like himself.  Once he felt
+himself strongly clutched by the hair for a moment, but the swirl of the
+water almost immediately tore him free again.  And still that awful,
+implacable downward drag continued, until he began to wonder dreamily
+whether he would ever return to the surface alive, or whether, after
+all, deliverance from his wretchedness--which in some inexplicable way
+already seemed much less poignant to him--was coming to him down there
+in those black depths.  The pressure upon his body was rapidly becoming
+unendurable; the air was being forced from his lungs; he was
+suffocating!  Involuntarily he began to struggle, throwing out his arms
+and legs instinctively in a powerful effort to return to the surface.
+Then, in a moment, he lost all consciousness of his dreadful situation
+and found himself once more back among the scenes of his childhood, a
+multitude of trivial and long-forgotten incidents recurring to his
+memory with inconceivable rapidity.  He was a dying man; the agony of
+drowning was over, and he had entered upon that curious phase of
+retrospection that most drowning people experience, and that so
+pleasantly precedes that form of dissolution.
+
+But after an indefinite period of oblivion consciousness returned, and
+he found that he had somehow come back to the surface and was painfully
+taking in great gulps of air, clinging tenaciously, meanwhile, to what,
+so far as he could discover, in the intense darkness, was the body of a
+woman!
+
+Whether that woman was alive, or dead, Leslie knew not; but, still
+animated by the old reckless disregard for his own safety that had
+become a part of his nature, as well as by that innate feeling of
+chivalry that even his great sorrow had not eradicated, his first
+impulse was to give his unknown companion the benefit of whatever
+slender possibility of ultimate escape might exist; and he accordingly
+lost not a moment in disengaging himself from the life-buoy that still
+supported him, and adjusting it beneath the unconscious body of the
+woman in such a manner that she sat within it almost as though it were
+an armchair; the buoy floating aslant in the water, with its lower rim
+supporting the weight of the body, while its upper rim, which rose
+several inches above the surface of the water, pressed against and
+supported the woman's shoulders.  By this arrangement the woman's head
+was raised well above the water; and if she were not already dead there
+was some prospect that she would ultimately revive and recover
+consciousness.  As for Leslie, he was so powerful a swimmer that he
+really needed no support, now that he was once more himself; he
+accordingly threw himself prone upon his back and, in that position,
+floated easily, retaining his hold upon the buoy by means of the beckets
+of light line that were looped around it.
+
+The water was quite warm; there was therefore no hardship in being
+immersed in it; there was not much sea running, and such as there was
+seldom broke.  Leslie felt therefore that the probability of several
+hours of life still lay before him; and he began, with a queer feeling
+of dismay and disappointment, to ask himself whether, after all, he
+might not ultimately be doomed to escape.  He knew that the catastrophe
+had occurred right in the usual track of ships bound south; and it was
+quite upon the cards that one of these might come along at any moment
+and pass within hail of him, or, at all events, close enough to permit
+of his being seen.  And if this should happen to occur between daylight
+and dark he would feel bound to adopt such measures as might be possible
+to attract the attention of her crew and cause himself to be picked up.
+Well, he argued, if such a thing should happen it could not be helped;
+perhaps there might occur some other occasion.  Besides, there was his
+companion.  She might possibly be alive; and if such should be the case
+she would doubtless be anxious to escape; she had, in an accidental way,
+come under his protection, and he must do everything he possibly could
+for her.
+
+The question as to whether life still lingered in the occupant of the
+life-buoy was speedily determined; for while Leslie still lay floating
+tranquilly upon his back, weighing the _pros_ and _cons_ of the
+situation, a faint groan reached his ear, quickly followed by a second,
+louder and more sustained; then followed certain sounds indicative of
+violent sickness; the patient was getting rid of the very considerable
+quantity of sea water that she had swallowed.
+
+Leslie waited patiently until this unpleasant episode appeared to have
+come to an end, when, raising himself upright in the water, he said
+cheerfully--
+
+"That's capital; you will soon be all right now.  Are you feeling
+tolerably comfortable in that buoy?"
+
+"Oh Heaven!" moaned a voice that Leslie fancied was not altogether
+unfamiliar to him, "is it possible that there is some one else in the
+same horrible plight as my unfortunate self?"
+
+"Nay," said Leslie, "do not speak or think of yourself as unfortunate,
+at least as yet.  You have thus far escaped with life--which is, I fear,
+more than any one else except myself has done--and while there is life
+there is hope, you know."
+
+"Surely not in such a dreadful situation as ours!" said his companion.
+"What hope dare we entertain?  What possible prospect of escape have we?
+Is it not a certainty that we shall perish miserably by thirst and
+starvation if we succeed in avoiding death by drowning?  I must confess
+that I shall bitterly regret the respite that has in some mysterious way
+come to me, if I am doomed to linger on and endure the protracted
+horrors of death from hunger and thirst."
+
+"Naturally you will," assented Leslie; "I fully agree with you that, if
+one or the other fate must necessarily overtake us, that of drowning is
+much to be preferred.  But it is early yet to despair.  We are in a part
+of the Atlantic that is much frequented by ships; and if fate will only
+be kind to us, it is quite on the cards that we may be picked up in the
+course of a day or two.  And surely, if this fine weather will but
+last--as I believe it will--we can hold out for that length of time.
+And let me reassure you upon one point: so long as we are fully immersed
+in the water, as we now are, we shall not suffer very greatly from
+thirst; the water penetrates through the pores of the skin, and, being
+filtered as it were in the process, alleviates to a very considerable
+extent the craving for liquid that must otherwise result from long
+abstinence.  Hunger, of course, is another matter; but we must make up
+our minds to endure that as best we may.  You will understand that I am
+now looking at the bright side of things; there is a dark side also, but
+we will not consider that at present.  What we have to do just now is to
+be hopeful; to maintain one's hopefulness is half the battle.  And, if
+the assurance will help in the least to encourage you, I should like you
+clearly to understand that so long as life--or at least consciousness
+and a particle of strength--remains to me, you may rely upon my doing my
+level best for you.  And, being by profession a sailor, I may be able to
+do much that a landsman could not.  Meanwhile, however, all that we can
+do at present is to wait patiently for daylight.  One point is already
+declaring itself in our favour; I notice that the fog is lifting."
+
+"Is it?" responded the girl, wearily.  "I cannot say that I am able to
+detect any improvement.  But, naturally, a sailor's trained eyes would
+be more quick to see such a change than those of a lands-woman like
+myself.  And you spoke of yourself as a sailor.  I seem to recognise
+your voice.  Are you one of the officers of the _Golden Fleece_?"
+
+"No," answered Leslie.  "My connection with the ship was simply that of
+a passenger like yourself.  But I used to belong to the British navy;
+and although I left it some seven years ago, I venture to believe that
+my knowledge of seamanship has not yet grown quite rusty.  My name is
+Leslie--Richard Leslie, and unless my ears deceive me you are Miss
+Trevor."
+
+"Yes," assented the girl; "you are quite right.  I am that unfortunate
+individual--unfortunate, that is to say, in that I yielded to my poor
+aunt's persuasions and consented to embark in a sailing ship instead of
+going out to Australia in a mail steamer.  I had not been very well for
+some months, and it was thought that the longer voyage by a sailing ship
+would benefit my health.  And so you are Mr Leslie, the gentleman who
+held himself so rigidly aloof from all that he excited everybody's most
+lively curiosity as to his business, his antecedents, and, in short,
+everything about him.  Well, Mr Leslie, let me say at once that I am
+profoundly grateful to you for your promise to help me so far as you
+can.  At the same time, I must confess that at present I quite fail to
+see in what way you can possibly be of the slightest assistance to me,
+excepting, of course, that your presence and companionship are a great
+comfort and encouragement to me.  It would be awful beyond words to find
+one's self quite alone in such a frightful situation as this.  By the
+way, do you think it likely that any others besides ourselves have
+survived this horrible accident--if accident it was?"
+
+"Oh," answered Leslie, "there is no doubt as to its being an accident.
+But it was one of those accidents that might have been avoided.
+Rainhill was not to blame; he observed every possible precaution; the
+fault lay with the other fellow, who came blundering along through that
+dense fog at full speed.  I take it he approached us so rapidly that he
+failed to hear our fog-horn until it was too late to avoid us.  He
+ought, under the circumstances, to have been steaming dead slow.  Then,
+upon hearing our fog-horn, he could at once have stopped his engines,
+and, if necessary, reversed them, until the danger of collision was
+past.  As it is, it is quite upon the cards that he, too, has gone to
+the bottom.  No ship could strike so terrific a blow as that steamer did
+without suffering serious damage herself.  As to the probability of
+there being other survivors than ourselves, I doubt it.  It is
+absolutely certain that nobody could possibly have escaped in either of
+the boats; and, watching the mad fight for them, at a distance, as I
+did, I imagine that when the ship went down, every one of those frantic
+people went under in the grasp of somebody else, and so lost, in another
+person's death-grip, whatever chance he might otherwise have had of
+coming to the surface.  It is a marvel to me how _you_ escaped.  Where
+were you when the ship plunged?"
+
+"I?  Oh, I was down on what they called the `main deck,'" answered Miss
+Trevor.  "I heard the captain give orders that every one was to don
+their warmest clothing, so I slipped into my cabin and changed my
+evening frock for a good stout serge that I wore when I first came on
+board; and when I emerged from the saloon I found myself quite alone.  I
+was just about to climb up on the poop when the ship seemed to slide
+from under me, and I found myself being dragged down beneath the
+surface.  Then I lost consciousness, and knew no more until I awoke to
+find myself afloat in this life-buoy.  I have been wondering how I came
+to be in such a singular position.  Can you by any chance enlighten me?"
+
+"Well, to be perfectly candid, I put you there," answered Leslie.  "I
+recognised from the first that, with the mad panic prevailing on board,
+there would be no possibility of utilising the boats; so I took the
+precaution to provide myself with a life-buoy, in which I jumped
+overboard.  Like you, I was of course dragged under by the suction of
+the ship, as she went down; and, like you, I lost consciousness, though
+not, I think, for very long.  And when I recovered my senses I found
+myself once more afloat, with a fold of your dress in my grasp.  So, as
+the simplest means of relieving myself of the fatigue of supporting you,
+I placed you in the buoy, not needing it myself, since I am a strong
+swimmer, and can support myself for practically any length of time in
+the water."
+
+"From which it would appear that I am indebted to you for the
+circumstance that I am alive at the present moment," commented Miss
+Trevor.  "I suppose I ought to be profoundly grateful to you; but--"
+
+"Excuse me for interrupting you," broke in Leslie, "but if I am not
+greatly mistaken there is something floating out there that may be of
+use to us.  I will tow you to it.  In our present circumstances we must
+avail ourselves of everything that affords us an opportunity to better
+our condition."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO.
+
+PICKED UP.
+
+The object that had attracted Leslie's notice proved to be one of the
+hencoops belonging to the _Golden Fleece_, that had broken adrift when
+the ship went down, and returned to the surface.  There was another
+floating at no great distance, so, having towed Miss Trevor, in her
+life-buoy, to the first, and directed her to hold on to it for a few
+minutes, he swam on to the second, which, with some difficulty, he got
+alongside the first.  The lashings of both were fortunately intact, the
+cleats to which the coops were secured having torn away from the deck;
+Leslie therefore temporarily secured the two coops to each other,
+intending, as soon as daylight appeared, to lash them properly together
+in such a manner as, he hoped, would form a fairly useful raft.  During
+the progress of this small business, the conversation between the two
+people thus strangely thrown together had necessarily been interrupted;
+and as Miss Trevor did not appear to be very eager to renew it, Leslie
+thought it best to maintain silence, in the hope that his companion
+might be able to secure a little sleep.
+
+Meanwhile, the fog had gradually been growing less dense, and within
+about half an hour of the incident of the hencoops a few stars became
+visible overhead.  An hour later the fog had completely disappeared,
+revealing a star-studded sky that spread dome-like and unbroken from
+zenith to horizon.
+
+To Leslie the night seemed interminable; but at length his anxious eyes
+were gladdened by the appearance of a faint paling of the sky low down
+on the horizon in the eastern quarter.  Gradually and imperceptibly the
+pallor spread right, left, and upward toward the zenith, until a broad
+arch of it lay stretched along the horizon, within the limits of which
+the stars one after another dwindled in brightness and presently
+disappeared.  Against this patch of pallor the heads of the running
+surges rose and fell restlessly, black as ink; and once, as Leslie and
+his companion were lifted on the top of the swell, the former thought he
+caught sight, for a moment, of a small toy-like object in the far
+distance.  When next he was hove up he looked for it again, but for some
+few minutes in vain.  Then came another unusually lofty undulation that
+for a moment lifted him high enough to render the horizon almost level,
+with only an isolated ridge here and there to break its continuity; and
+during that brief moment he once more caught sight of the object, and
+knew that it was no figment of his imagination; on the contrary, it was
+a clear and sharply defined image of the upper canvas--from the royals
+down to the foot of the topsails--of a barque, steering south.  She was,
+of course, much too distant to be of any use to them, but her appearance
+just then was encouraging, inasmuch as it confirmed his conviction that
+they were fairly in the track of ships.  He pointed the craft out to his
+companion, and said what he could to raise her hopes; but by this time
+the poor girl was beginning to feel so exhausted from her long exposure,
+and the intense emotions that had preceded it, that he found his task
+difficult almost to the point of impossibility.
+
+During the brief period occupied by Leslie in watching the distant
+barque and endeavouring to deduce from her appearance substantial
+grounds for encouragement on the part of his companion, the sky had
+brightened to such an extent that the stars had all vanished, and
+presently, with a flash of golden radiance, up rose the sun; his
+cheering beams at once transforming the scene from one of chill
+dreariness to a blaze of genial warmth and beauty.
+
+Leslie felt that, with the reappearance of the sun, it would be well to
+get his companion out of the water and up on the top of the hencoops as
+soon as possible, since dryness and warmth were what she now most
+urgently required; he accordingly at once went to work with a will to
+get his proposed raft into shape.
+
+But, first of all, he made it his business to investigate the interiors
+of the coops, with an eye to the provision of a certain want in the not
+far distant future.  He felt sure that in one, if not both, of the coops
+would be found a number of drowned fowls; and although the hunger of
+himself and his companion had not yet nearly reached the point of
+demanding satisfaction on a diet of raw, drowned poultry, he foresaw the
+speedy approach of a moment when even such unappetising fare as this
+would be welcome.  He accordingly turned the coops over so that he could
+get at their contents; and found, as he had expected, that each
+contained a fair supply of food.  Indeed there was more than they would
+be able to consume before it became unusable, one coop yielding fourteen
+fowls, and the other eight.  These he abstracted and secured; then he
+turned the two coops over in the water so that they floated right side
+upward, and face to face--in order that their tops should afford
+something in the nature of a smooth platform upon which the pair could
+recline with the minimum of discomfort--and in that position he firmly
+lashed the two together with the lashings still attached to them.  Then
+he helped Miss Trevor to get out of her life-buoy and clamber up on the
+top of the fragile structure; finding, to his satisfaction, when he had
+done so, that the raft possessed just enough buoyancy to support her
+comfortably, when reclining at full length upon it, although,
+unfortunately, not enough to keep her dry, since even in such quiet
+weather as then prevailed, the sea continuously washed over it.
+
+It occurred to Leslie that, since the hencoops had broken adrift from
+the sinking ship, other wreckage might have done the same; and he
+accordingly proceeded to search the surface of the ocean with his gaze,
+in quest of floating objects.  For a few minutes his quest was vain; but
+presently, just to the southward of the sun's dazzle on the water, his
+eye was caught by a momentary appearance of blinking light, as of the
+sun's rays reflected from a cluster of floating wet objects.  The next
+instant he lost it again behind a heaving mound of swell; then he caught
+it again and, this time, for long enough to enable him to decide that it
+was about half a mile distant.  For a moment he was doubtful whether,
+being so far away, what he saw could possibly be wreckage from the
+_Golden Fleece_; but a little reflection suggested to him that, if this
+wreckage should happen to be floating deep, it would be quite possible
+for him and his companion, with the hencoops--floating on the very
+surface as they all were--to have been driven quite this distance to
+leeward by the mere wash of the sea.  Whether or no, however, it was
+certain that away there, some half a mile to windward, there was enough
+wreckage, apparently, to afford them a raft upon which they could be
+supported high and dry.
+
+There was but one way of reaching this wreckage, and that was to swim to
+it, propelling the raft and its fair burden before him.  This was a
+decidedly formidable task to undertake; for the raft, being rectangular
+in shape, and drawing about two feet of water, offered a very
+considerable amount of resistance to propulsion, especially under the
+unfavourable conditions which were the only ones possible; still there
+was no other task upon which Leslie could employ himself--and he felt
+that it was imperative to do _something_, if only to while the time away
+and interest his companion, thus diverting her thoughts and preventing
+her from dwelling too much upon the horrors of their present situation.
+He therefore set manfully to work and, shaping a course by the run of
+the sea, proceeded to propel the raft to windward, resting his hand upon
+its after end and striking out with his legs, in long, steady strokes
+that could be maintained for a considerable period without entailing
+undue fatigue.
+
+Their progress was painfully slow, almost imperceptible, indeed; for
+when at the end of an hour's vigorous swimming Leslie paused to take
+breath and a look round, the utmost that he could say was that they were
+certainly not any further away from the wreckage for which he was aiming
+than they had been to start with.  And, reasoning upon this, the
+conclusion forced upon him was that, after all, he had merely succeeded
+in retarding their own drift to leeward; while to actually force his
+unwieldy raft to windward and thus reach the desired _flotsam_, was
+quite beyond his unaided powers.
+
+He had just rather ruefully arrived at this unwelcome conclusion when,
+clambering up on the raft to take a good look round, as the structure
+rose heavily upon the back of a swell he suddenly sighted, away in the
+northern board, a tiny speck of creamy white, gleaming softly out
+against the warm delicate grey tones of the sky low down in that
+quarter.  It was but a momentary glimpse, for he had no sooner caught it
+than the raft settled down into the trough, while a low hill of
+turquoise blue water swelled up in front of him, hiding the horizon and
+the object upon which his eager gaze had been so intently fixed.  Then
+the raft was once more hove up, and Leslie again caught sight of the
+object, which this time remained in view for a space of perhaps six
+seconds; and brief though this period may seem, it was sufficient to
+enable his practised seaman's eye to determine the fact that what he saw
+was the head of the royal of a ship steering to the southward.
+
+So anxiously did Leslie await the next reappearance of the tiny object,
+and so tense was his attitude of expectation, that it attracted the
+notice of his companion, who was fast sinking into a state of torpor
+from exhaustion.  She raised herself painfully into a sitting attitude
+and, in weak and somewhat fretful tones, inquired:--
+
+"What is it, Mr Leslie; do you see anything?"
+
+"Yes," answered Leslie, still anxiously watching; "there is a vessel of
+some sort away out there; and she is steering this way.  What I am
+anxious to determine, if I can, is whether she is likely to pass close
+enough to us to enable us to attract her attention."
+
+"Oh, I pray Heaven that it may be so!" ejaculated Miss Trevor,
+brightening up perceptibly at the prospect of possible rescue.  "Is
+there nothing that we can do to insure that she shall see us?  You say
+that you are a sailor, and I have been told that sailors are amazingly
+ingenious creatures, surely you can think of something, some act that
+would better our position!"  She spoke querulously, with an undertone of
+the old disdain that formerly marked her manner running through her
+speech.
+
+"A man can do but little with only his two hands and no tools to help
+him," answered Leslie, gently; "yet you may rely upon my doing all that
+is possible under such disadvantageous conditions.  From the position of
+that craft, and the course that I judge her to be steering, I fear that
+she will pass too far to windward of us to permit of our attracting her
+attention.  The fact that we shall be to leeward of her when she passes
+will be against us; for a sailor looks half a dozen times to windward
+for once that he glances over the lee rail.  And my efforts during the
+last hour have convinced me of the impossibility of driving this
+ungainly structure to windward by merely swimming.  If I only had an
+oar, or a paddle of some sort, I might be able to do something; but
+then, you see, I haven't, so it is of no use to think further of that.
+The wind is dropping, which is a point in our favour, inasmuch as it
+will lessen the speed of yonder craft in coming down toward us, and so
+give us more time in which to act.  I believe that, for instance, it
+would be possible for me, alone and unencumbered, to swim out to
+windward far enough to intercept her; but I certainly do not like the
+idea of leaving you here, alone, even on such an important errand as the
+one that I have in my mind; for if the wind should happen to shift, or I
+should by any other means fail to reach her, I might meet with some
+difficulty--it might perhaps even prove impossible--to find you again."
+
+"Oh, pray do not allow consideration for me to interfere with your
+freedom of action," retorted the girl, bitterly.  "If you can save
+yourself by leaving me here to die alone, I beg that you will not
+hesitate."
+
+"Stop, if you please," answered Leslie, with some sharpness of tone.
+"You have no right to think or to suggest that I should do any such
+thing.  Perhaps, however, you may have misunderstood me," he continued,
+more gently.  "What I had in my mind was this.  It occurred to me that
+it might not be difficult for me to swim out and intercept that ship,
+attract the attention of those on board her, and get picked up.  Then I
+could explain to the skipper that you were down here to leeward, afloat
+upon a raft; upon learning which he would of course at once bear up and
+run down to look for you.  And, as in all probability you would only be
+some two miles away at the moment when I should be picked up, there
+would be absolutely no possibility of missing you.  Still," he
+continued, thoughtfully, "there remains the chance of my failure--as I
+said just now; and I scarcely like to risk it.  If it were not for the
+fact that you are in so weak and exhausted a condition, I would suggest
+that you once more get into the life-buoy; when, abandoning this raft,
+and trusting to chance to find either it again, or the other wreckage
+that we have been trying to reach, I would endeavour to tow you far
+enough to windward to enable us to intercept that vessel and get her to
+pick us up."
+
+"Do you really think that such a proceeding would be likely to prove
+successful?" demanded the girl, with a considerable access of animation
+in her voice.
+
+"It might, or it might not," answered Leslie.  "It is impossible to say
+with certainty; so much depends upon chance.  Still I think the
+experiment is quite worth trying; we may have to do something very like
+it eventually, and it would be better to try it now, while we have a
+little strength left us.  Only if we are to attempt it, we had better
+start forthwith, so that we may make as sure as we can of achieving
+success.  By the way, I suppose you are fairly hungry by this time.  Are
+you hungry enough to tackle a raw slice off the breast of a drowned
+chicken?"
+
+The girl made a gesture of disgust.  "If the most dainty meal imaginable
+were placed before me at this moment, I do not believe I could touch a
+morsel of it," she said, "But I beg that you will not allow my
+squeamishness to deter you from eating, if you feel the need of food."
+
+"Thanks," replied Leslie, cheerfully.  "I must confess that I am quite
+ready for breakfast.  And although the fare can scarcely be described as
+appetising, I think I will attempt a morsel; it may prove useful to me,
+in view of the task before us."
+
+And therewith, extracting his knife from his pocket, and selecting a
+fairly plump fowl, he hacked off a goodsized slice of the breast, from
+which he stripped skin and feathers together.  Then, cramming the lump
+of flesh into his mouth, he masticated it well, extracting all the juice
+from it; after which he pronounced himself ready for the new adventure.
+
+Hauling the life-buoy up on the raft, he showed Miss Trevor how to place
+herself in it in such a manner as to secure the maximum amount of
+support from it; and as soon as she had arranged herself according to
+his instructions he bade her plunge boldly in; which she did.  He then
+at once followed her and, passing his left arm through one of the
+beckets, forthwith struck out, swimming with a long, steady stroke, in
+the direction which he had decided would be the most advantageous for
+him to take.
+
+It was perfectly true that, as Leslie had remarked, the wind was falling
+light; it had dropped quite perceptibly since sunrise, and the state of
+the ocean was reflecting this change; the sea was going down; it no
+longer broke anywhere, and the conditions for swimming were improving
+every moment.  The pair of strange voyagers were making excellent
+progress, as was evidenced by the rapidity with which they drew away
+from the raft; within half an hour, indeed, they had left it so far
+astern that it was with the utmost difficulty Leslie was able to locate
+it again when he paused for a moment to rest.  And when a further
+quarter of an hour had elapsed it had vanished altogether; thus
+vindicating Leslie's previous doubts as to the wisdom of swimming out
+alone to intercept the ship, leaving Miss Trevor upon the raft, to be
+sought for and picked up later on.
+
+As to the craft for which they were aiming, it was clear that she was
+but a slow tub, for she came drifting down toward them at a very
+deliberate pace.  The wind had softened away to about a four-knot
+breeze; but Leslie was of opinion that, although she showed all plain
+sail, up to her royals, she was scarcely doing three knots.  This was
+all in their favour, for while the smoothening of the sea's surface
+enabled Leslie to attain a much more satisfactory rate of speed with the
+same moderate amount of exertion, the low rate of sailing of the
+on-coming vessel rendered it certain that, apart from accident, they
+would now assuredly be able to reach her.  And by the time that this had
+become an undoubted fact, Leslie had made out that the stranger was a
+small brig, of some two hundred and thirty tons, or thereabout.  He
+would greatly have preferred that she had been a bigger craft, because
+the probability would then have been greater of her proving a passenger
+ship, and a passenger ship was what Leslie was now particularly anxious
+to fall in with, for Miss Trevor's sake--a change of clothing being an
+almost indispensable requirement on the part of the young lady, so soon
+as she should once more find herself on a ship's deck.  That there were
+no passengers--or, at least, no women passengers--aboard the brig,
+however, was practically certain--she was much too small for that--and
+unless the skipper happened to be a married man, with his wife aboard,
+Miss Trevor would have to fall back upon her own resources and ingenuity
+for a change of clothing.  He discussed this matter with his companion
+as he swam onward; but the young woman just then regarded the question
+with a considerable amount of indifference; her one consuming anxiety,
+for the moment, was to again find herself on the deck of a craft of some
+sort; all other considerations she was clearly quite willing to relegate
+to a more or less distant future.
+
+Meanwhile, the brig was slowly drawing down toward them, and as slowly
+lifting her canvas above the horizon.  And by the time that she had
+raised herself to the foot of her courses, Leslie had succeeded in
+bringing her two masts into line, so that the pair were now dead ahead
+of her.  Having accomplished this much, the swimmer concluded that he
+might safely take a rest, for the brig, being close-hauled, would be
+certain to be making more or less leeway; and it was quite possible that
+she would drive to leeward at least as fast as they did, if not faster,
+he therefore threw himself over on his back, requesting his companion to
+keep an eye on the approaching brig, and report to him her progress from
+time to time.
+
+The breeze, having begun to drop, continued to fall still lighter, until
+Leslie, raising himself for a moment to take a look at the brig, saw
+with some dismay that her lower canvas was wrinkling and collapsing
+occasionally for lack of wind.  She was by this time, however, hull-up,
+and not more than half a mile distant; moreover the rest in which he had
+been indulging had refreshed him so considerably that he felt quite
+capable of further exertion.  He therefore determined to shorten the
+period of suspense as much as possible by swimming directly for the
+craft--a resolution that was immensely strengthened by the sudden
+recollection that they were afloat in a part of the ocean where a shark
+or sharks might put in an unwelcome appearance at any moment.
+Accordingly, without mentioning this last unpleasant reflection of his
+to his companion, he recommenced swimming, this time shaping a course
+directly for the brig.
+
+Although his own individual progress, and that of the brig, was slow,
+their combined progress toward each other rapidly shortened the distance
+between them, and within about a quarter of an hour of the time that
+Leslie had recommenced swimming he had arrived near enough, in his
+judgment, to commence hailing, with a view to attracting the attention
+of the brig's crew.  Ceasing his exertions, therefore, he took a good
+long breath and shouted, at the top of his voice--
+
+"Brig ahoy!  _Brig ahoy_!  Brig Ahoy!"
+
+The hail, thrice repeated, exhausted the capacity of his lungs, and he
+paused, anxiously listening for a reply.  He thought--and Miss Trevor
+thought, too--that in response to his last shout a faint "Hillo?" had
+come floating down to them; but the wash of the water was in his ears,
+and he could not be certain, he therefore again took breath, and
+repeated his hail.
+
+This time there could be no doubt about it; the answering hail came
+distinctly enough, and immediately afterwards--so close was the brig to
+them--he saw first one head, then another, and another, appear in the
+eyes of the vessel, peering over the bows.  Quick as light, and treading
+water meanwhile, he whipped the white pocket-handkerchief out of the
+breast-pocket of his coat and waved it eagerly over his head.  The
+people in the bows of the brig stared incredulously for a moment; then
+with a sudden simultaneous flinging aloft of their arms they abruptly
+vanished.
+
+"All right," ejaculated Leslie, in tones of profound relief, "they have
+seen us, and your deliverance, Miss Trevor, is now a matter of but a few
+brief minutes!"
+
+"Oh, thank God; thank God!" cried the girl, brokenly; and then, all in a
+moment, the tension of her nerves suddenly giving way, she broke down
+utterly, and burst into a perfect passion of tears.  Leslie had sense
+enough to recognise that this hysterical outburst would probably relieve
+his companion's sorely overwrought feelings, and do her good; he
+therefore allowed her to have her cry out in peace, without making any
+attempt to check her.
+
+She was still sobbing convulsively when Leslie, who never took his eyes
+off the slowly approaching brig, saw five people suddenly appear in the
+vessel's bows, three of them pointing eagerly, while the other two
+peered out ahead under the sharp of their hands.
+
+"Brig ahoy!" hailed Leslie; "back your main-yard, will you, and stand by
+to heave us a couple of rope's ends when we come alongside?"
+
+"Ay, ay," promptly came the answer from the brig.  The men in the bows
+again vanished; and, as they did so, the same voice that had just
+answered pealed out, "Let go the port main braces; main tack and sheet;
+back the main-yard!  And then some of you stand by to drop a line or
+two, with a standing bowline in their ends, to those people in the
+water."
+
+The main-yard swung slowly aback, the canvas on the mainmast pressed
+against the mast, still further retarding the vessel's sluggish
+movement; and as she drifted almost imperceptibly up to them, a few
+strokes of Leslie's arms took the pair alongside, where some half a
+dozen rope's ends, with loops in them, already dangled in the water.
+With a deft movement, Leslie seized and dropped one of them over his
+head and under his armpits; then, taking Miss Trevor about the waist, he
+gave the word "Hoist away, handsomely," and four men, standing on the
+brig's rail, dragged them up the vessel's low side, and assisted them to
+gain the deck.
+
+The vessel, on board which they now found themselves, was a small craft
+compared with the _Golden Fleece_, measuring, as Leslie had already
+guessed, about two hundred and thirty tons register.  That she was
+British the language of her crew had already told him; and he was
+thankful that it was so, for he might now reasonably hope for courteous
+treatment of himself and his companion--which is not always to be
+reckoned upon with certainty, under such circumstances, if the craft
+happens to be manned by foreigners.  The vessel, moreover, appeared to
+be tolerably clean; while the crew seemed to be a fairly decent lot of
+men.
+
+As he gained the deck, a tall, dark, rather handsome man--but with an
+expression of countenance that Leslie hardly liked--stepped forward.  He
+was clad entirely in white, and was clearly the master of the brig.
+
+"Good morning," he said, without offering his hand, or uttering any word
+of welcome.  "Where the devil do you come from?"
+
+"We are," answered Leslie, "survivors--the only two, I am afraid--of the
+passenger ship _Golden Fleece_, bound to Melbourne, which was run into
+and sunk by an unknown steamer last night about eleven o'clock, during a
+dense fog.  My name is Leslie; I was one of the cuddy passengers; and
+this lady--who was likewise a cuddy passenger--is Miss Trevor."
+
+The man's rather saturnine features relaxed as he gazed with undisguised
+admiration at the lovely girl, wet and bedraggled though she was; and,
+stepping up to her, he held out his hand, saying--
+
+"Your most obedient, miss.  Glad to see you aboard my ship.  My name's
+Potter--James Potter; and this brig's the _Mermaid_, of London, bound
+out to Valparaiso with a general cargo.  And this," he added, directing
+the girl's attention toward a slight, active-looking man who stood
+beside him, "is my only mate, Mr Purchas."
+
+Miss Trevor bowed slightly, first to one and then to the other of the
+two men, as these introductions were made; then, turning once more to
+Potter, she thanked him earnestly and heartily for having picked up
+herself and her companion, and stood waiting irresolutely for what was
+next to happen.
+
+"Oh, that's all right, miss; you're very welcome, I'm sure.  Glad to
+have the chance of doing a service to such a beauty as you are."  Then,
+turning abruptly about, he shouted, "Swing the main-yard, and fill upon
+her.  Board the main tack, and aft with the sheet.  Lively now, you
+skowbanks; and don't stand staring there like stuck pigs!"
+
+The men hurried away to execute these elegantly embellished orders.  And
+Leslie, who had stood impatiently by, with a slowly gathering frown
+corrugating his brow, stepped forward and said--
+
+"I hope, Mr Potter, that our presence on board your brig is not going
+to subject you to inconvenience.  And I hope, further, that we shall not
+need to tax your hospitality for very long.  Sooner or later we are
+pretty certain to fall in with a homeward-bound ship, in which case I
+will ask you to have the goodness to transfer Miss Trevor and myself to
+her, as Valparaiso is quite out of our way, and we have no wish to visit
+the place.  Meanwhile, we have been in the water for somewhere about
+twelve hours, and Miss Trevor is in a dreadfully exhausted condition, as
+you may see for yourself.  If you could kindly arrange for her to turn
+in for a few hours, you could do her no greater service for the present.
+And to be quite candid, I should not be sorry if you could spare me a
+corner in which to stretch myself while my clothes are drying."
+
+The skipper turned upon Leslie rather sharply and scowlingly.
+
+"Look here, mister," he said, "don't you worry about the young lady,
+I'll look after her myself.  She shall have the use of my cabin.  The
+bunk's made up, and everything is quite ready for her at a minute's
+notice.  You come with me, miss," he continued; "I'll take you below and
+show you your quarters.  You can turn in at once, and when you've rested
+enough I'll have a good meal cooked and ready for you.  This way,
+please."
+
+And therewith, offering his arm to the girl, he led her aft toward the
+companion, without vouchsafing another word to Leslie.  As for the girl,
+she was by this time so nearly in a state of collapse that she could do
+nothing but passively accept the assistance offered her, and submit to
+be led away below.
+
+"Queer chap, rather, the skipper; ain't he?" remarked the mate, coming
+to Leslie's side as Potter and Miss Trevor vanished down the
+companion-way, "This is my first voyage with him, and, between you and
+me and the lamp-post, it'll be the last, if things don't greatly improve
+between now and our getting back to London.  I reckon you'll be all the
+better for a snooze, too, so come below with me.  You can use my cabin
+for the present, until the `old man' makes other arrangements."
+
+"Very many thanks," answered Leslie; "I shall be more than glad to avail
+myself of your kind offer.  Before I do so, however, I wish to say that
+somewhere over there," pointing out over the lee bow, "about three miles
+away, there is some floating wreckage from the _Golden Fleece_, and,
+although I think it rather doubtful, there _may_ be a few people
+clinging to it.  I hope you will represent this to Mr Potter, and
+induce him to run down and examine the spot.  It will not take him much
+off his course; and if the fellow has any humanity at all in him he will
+surely not neglect the opportunity to save possibly a few more lives."
+
+"All right," said Purchas, "I'll tell him when he comes on deck again.
+Now you come away below and turn in."
+
+Therewith the mate conducted Leslie down into a small, dark, and rather
+frowsy stateroom at the foot of the companion ladder, and outside the
+brig's main cabin; and having said a few awkward but hearty words of
+hospitality in reply to the other's expressions of thanks, closed the
+door upon him and left him to himself.
+
+Five minutes later, Leslie was stretched warm and comfortable in the
+bunk, wrapped in sound and dreamless sleep.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE.
+
+CAPTAIN POTTER CAUSES TROUBLE.
+
+When Leslie awoke the warm and mellow glow of the light that streamed in
+through the small scuttle in the ship's side prepared him for the
+discovery that he had slept until late in the afternoon; and as he lay
+there reflecting upon the startling events of the previous twenty-four
+hours the sound of eight bells being struck on deck confirmed his
+surmise by conveying to him the information that it was just four
+o'clock.  He raised himself in the bunk, striking his head smartly
+against the low deck-planking above him as he did so.  He looked for his
+clothes where he had flung them off before turning in, but they were not
+there; casting his eyes about the little apartment, however, he
+presently recognised them hanging, dry, upon a hook screwed to the
+bulkhead.  Thereupon he dropped out of the bunk, and proceeded forthwith
+to dress, noting, as he did so, by the slow, gentle oscillations of the
+brig, that the sea had gone down to practically nothing while he slept,
+while the occasional flutter and flap of canvas, heard quite distinctly
+where he was, told him that the wind had dropped to a calm.
+
+Dressing quickly, he hurried on deck, wondering whether he would find
+Miss Trevor there.  She was not; but the skipper and mate were both in
+evidence, standing, one on either side of the companion; neither of them
+speaking.  The sky was cloudless; the wind had dropped to a dead calm;
+the surface of the sea was oil-smooth, but a low swell still undulated
+up from the south-east quarter.  The ship had swung nearly east and
+west; and the sun's beams, pouring in over the starboard quarter, bit
+fiercely, although the luminary was by this time declining well toward
+the horizon.
+
+"Well, mister, had a good sleep?" inquired the skipper, with some
+attempt to infuse geniality into his voice.
+
+"Excellent, thank you," answered Leslie, as with a quick glance he swept
+the entire deck of the brig.  "Miss Trevor is still in her cabin, I take
+it, as I do not see her on deck.  She has had a most trying and
+exhausting experience, and I hope, sir, you will afford her all the
+comfort at your command; otherwise she may suffer a serious breakdown.
+Fortunately, I am not without funds; and I can make it quite worth your
+while to treat us both well during the short time that I hope will only
+elapse ere you have an opportunity to trans-ship us."
+
+"Is Miss Trevor any relation of yours?" asked Potter, his tone once more
+assuming a suggestion of aggressiveness.
+
+"She is not, sir," answered Leslie, showing some surprise at the
+question.  "She was simply a fellow-passenger of mine on board the
+_Golden Fleece_; and it was by the merest accident that we became
+companions, after the ship went down.  Had you any particular object in
+making the inquiry, may I ask?"
+
+"Oh no," answered Potter; "I just thought she might be related to you in
+some way; you seem to be pretty anxious about her welfare; that's all."
+
+"And very naturally, I think, taking into consideration the fact that I
+have most assuredly saved her life," retorted Leslie.  "Having done so
+much, I feel it incumbent upon me to take her under my care and
+protection until I can find a means of putting her into the way of
+returning to England, or of resuming her voyage to Australia--whichever
+she may prefer."
+
+"Very kind and disinterested of you, I'm sure," remarked Potter,
+sneeringly.  "But if she's no relation of yours there's no call for you
+to worry any more about her; she's aboard my ship, now; and _I'll_ look
+after her in future, and do whatever may be necessary.  As for _you_,
+I'll trans-ship you, the first chance I get; never fear."
+
+The fellow's tone was so gratuitously offensive that Leslie determined
+to come to an understanding with him at once.
+
+"Captain Potter," he said, turning sharply upon the man, "your manner
+leads me to fear that the presence of Miss Trevor and myself on board
+your ship is disagreeable or inconvenient--or perhaps both--to you.  If
+so, I can only say, on behalf of the young lady and myself, that we are
+very sorry; although our sorrow is not nearly profound enough to drive
+us over the side again; we shall remain aboard here until something else
+comes along to relieve you of our unwelcome presence; then we will go,
+let the craft be what she will, and bound where she may.  And,
+meanwhile, so long as we are with you, I will pay you two pounds a day
+for our board and accommodation, which I think ought to compensate you
+adequately for any inconvenience or annoyance that we may cause you.
+And Miss Trevor will continue to be under my care; make no mistake about
+that!"
+
+The offer of two pounds per diem for the board and lodging of two people
+produced an immediate soothing and mollifying effect upon the skipper's
+curious temper; he made an obvious effort to infuse his rather
+truculent-looking features with an amiable expression, and replied, in
+tones of somewhat forced geniality--
+
+"Oh, all right, mister; I'm not going to quarrel with you.  You and the
+lady are quite welcome aboard here; and I'll do what I can to make you
+both comfortable; though, with our limited accommodation, I don't quite
+see, just at this minute, how it's going to be done.  The lady can have
+my cabin, and I'll take Purchas's; you, Purchas," turning to the mate,
+"can have the steward's berth, and he'll have to go into the fo'c's'le.
+That can be managed easy enough; the question is, Where are we going to
+put you, mister?"
+
+"Leslie," quickly interjected the individual addressed, who was already
+beginning to feel very tired of being called simply "mister."
+
+"Mr Leslie--thank you," ejaculated the skipper giving Leslie his name
+for the first time, in sheer confusion and astonishment at being so
+promptly pulled up.  "As I was saying, the question is, Where can we put
+you?  We haven't a spare berth in the ship."
+
+"Pray do not distress yourself about that," exclaimed Leslie; "any place
+will do for me.  I am a sailor by profession, and have roughed it before
+to-day.  The weather is quite warm; I can therefore turn in upon your
+cabin lockers at night if you can think of no better place in which to
+stow me."
+
+"Oh, the cabin lockers be--" began Potter; then he pulled himself up
+short.  "No," he resumed, "I couldn't think of you sleeping on the
+lockers; they're that hard and uncomfortable you'd never be able to get
+a bit of real rest on 'em; to say nothing of Purchas or me coming in,
+off and on, during the night to look at the clock, or the barometer, or
+what not, and disturbing you.  Besides, you'd be in our way there.  No,
+that won't do; that won't do at all.  I'll be shot if I can see any way
+out of it but to make you up a shakedown in the longboat.  She's got
+nothing in her except her own gear--which we can clear out.  The
+jolly-boat is turned over on top of her, making a capital roof to your
+house, so that you'll sleep dry and comfortable.  Why, she'll make a
+first-rate cabin for ye, and you'll have her all to yourself.  There's
+some boards on the top of the galley that we can lay fore and aft on the
+boat's thwarts, and there's plenty of sails in the sail locker to make
+ye a bed.  Why," he exclaimed, in admiration of his own ingenuity, "when
+all's done you'll have the most comfortable cabin in the ship!  Dashed
+if I wouldn't take it myself if it wasn't for the look it would have
+with the men.  But that argument don't apply to you, mister."
+
+"Leslie," cut in the latter once more, detecting, as he believed, an
+attempt on the part of the skipper to revert to his original
+objectionable style of address.
+
+"Yes, Leslie--thanks.  I think I've got the hang of your name now,"
+returned Potter.  "As I was saying, that argument don't apply to you,
+seein' that the men know how short of accommodation we are aft.  Now,
+how d'ye think the longboat arrangement will suit ye?"
+
+"Oh, I have no doubt it will do well enough," answered Leslie, although,
+for some reason that he could not quite explain to himself, he felt that
+he would rather have been berthed below.  "As you say, I shall at least
+have the place to myself; I can turn in and turn out when I like; and I
+shall disturb nobody, nor will anybody disturb me.  Yes; the arrangement
+will do quite well.  And many thanks to you for making it."
+
+"Well, that's settled, then," agreed the skipper, in tones of
+considerable satisfaction.  "Mr Purchas," he continued, "let some of
+the hands turn-to at once to get those planks off the top of the galley
+and into the longboat, while others rouse a few of the oldest and
+softest of the sails out of the locker to make Mr--Mr Leslie a good,
+comfortable bed.  And, with regard to payment," he continued, turning
+rather shamefacedly to Leslie, "business is business; and if you don't
+mind we'll have the matter down on paper, in black and white.  If you
+were poor folks, now, or you an ordinary sailor-man," he explained, "I
+wouldn't charge either of ye a penny piece.  But it's easy to see that
+you're a nob--a navy man, a regular brass-bounder, if I'm not mistaken--
+and as such you can well afford it; while, as for the lady, anybody with
+half an eye can see that she's a regular tip-topper, thoroughbred, and
+all that, so she can afford it too; while I'm a poor man, and am likely
+to be to the end of my days."
+
+"Quite so," assented Leslie.  "There is not the least need for
+explanation or apology, I assure you.  Neither Miss Trevor nor I will
+willingly be indebted to you for the smallest thing; nor shall we be,
+upon the terms that I have suggested.  I shall feel perfectly easy in my
+mind upon that score, knowing as well as you do that we shall be paying
+most handsomely for the best that you can possibly give us.  And now, at
+last, I hope we very clearly understand each other."
+
+So saying, he turned away and, walking forward to where Purchas was
+superintending the removal of the planks referred to by the skipper, he
+asked the mate if he could oblige him with the loan of a pipe and the
+gift of a little tobacco.
+
+"Of course I can," answered Purchas, cordially.  "At least, I can give
+ye a pipe of a sort--a clay; I buys about six shillin's worth every time
+I starts upon a voyage.  I get 'em at a shop in the Commercial Road, at
+the rate of fifteen for a shillin'!  I find it pays a lot better than
+buyin' four briars at one-and-six apiece; for, you see, when you've lost
+or smashed four briars, why, they're done for; but when you've lost or
+smashed four clays--and I find that they last a'most as long as briars--
+why, I've still a good stock of pipes to fall back upon.  If a clay is
+good enough for ye, ye're welcome to one, or a dozen if ye like."
+
+"Oh, thanks," laughed Leslie; "one will be sufficient until I have lost
+or broken it; then, maybe, I will trespass upon your generosity to the
+extent of begging another."
+
+"Right you are," said the mate, cordially.  "I'll slip down below and
+fetch ye one, and a cake o' baccy.  I'll not be gone a moment."
+
+And away the man went, eager, as most British sailors are, to do a
+kindness to a fellow-sailor in distress.  He speedily returned with a
+new short clay, and a cake of tobacco, which he handed to Leslie with
+the remark that he knew what it was to be without pipe or tobacco, and
+could therefore sympathise with him.  Leslie was soon deep in the
+enjoyment of the first smoke that he had had for some eighteen hours;
+and while he was still at it he saw Miss Trevor emerge from the
+companion and gaze somewhat anxiously about her.
+
+As she stepped out on deck, Potter, who had been leaning moodily over
+the quarter-deck rail, puffing away at a strong cigar, sprang upright
+and advanced eagerly toward her, with one hand held out, and his cap in
+the other.  She returned his somewhat grotesque bow with a cold
+stateliness for which Leslie felt that he could have hugged her; and
+then, seeing that the man would not be denied, she allowed her hand to
+rest in his for just the barest fraction of a second.  As Leslie
+approached, he heard Potter anxiously inquiring after her welfare, and
+doing the honours of his ship generally, with a ludicrous affectation of
+manner that amused him greatly, and even brought the ghost of a smile to
+the face of the girl.
+
+Leslie made the polite inquiries demanded by the occasion, learning in
+return that Miss Trevor felt very much better for her long rest; and
+then he turned to the skipper, and said--
+
+"Before going below I mentioned to your mate that some wreckage--
+apparently from the _Golden Fleece_--was floating at no great distance;
+and I left a message with him for you, suggesting that you should run
+down and examine it, upon the off-chance that there might be some people
+clinging to it.  Did you do so?"
+
+"I did not, sir," answered Potter.  "I'd have you know, in the first
+place, Mister--Leslie--if that's your name--that I'm cap'n aboard my own
+ship, and take orders from nobody but my owners.  In the next place, I
+took a good look at the wreckage through the glass, and saw that there
+was nobody on it; so, you see, there was no use in running the brig away
+off her course."
+
+"But, my good fellow--" remonstrated Leslie.
+
+"Now, look here," broke in Potter, "don't you try to come the officer
+over me, and dictate to me what I shall do, or what I shan't do; because
+I won't have it.  I satisfied myself that there was nobody upon that
+wreckage; and that's enough."
+
+"I presume you have no objection to my satisfying _myself_ also that
+there is nobody upon it?" returned Leslie, keeping his temper admirably
+in face of the other's offensive manner.  "If you will kindly lend me
+the ship's glass, I will go up into the main-top and have a look for
+myself."
+
+"So you don't trust me, eh?" sneered Potter.  "Well, you'll just have
+to, whether you like it or not.  I refuse to let you use the ship's
+glass; I forbid you to touch it; it's the only glass aboard; and I'm not
+going to risk the loss of it by trusting it to a man who may clumsily
+drop it overboard for aught that I can tell."
+
+"Very well," said Leslie; "if you choose to be uncivil and offensive, I
+cannot help it.  At all events, I will take a look for myself."
+
+And, so saying, he sprang into the main rigging and danced up the
+ratlines at a pace that made the shellbacks on deck stare in wonderment.
+
+"Come down out of my rigging, you; d'ye hear?" roared Potter.  "Come
+down, I say.  How dare you take such liberties aboard my ship?  D'ye
+hear what I say?" as Leslie grasped the futtock shrouds and lightly drew
+himself over the rim of the top.  "If you don't come down at once I'll
+send a couple of hands aloft to fetch ye."
+
+Taking not the slightest notice of the man's ravings, Leslie stood,
+lightly grasping the topmast rigging in one hand while he shaded his
+eyes with the other, gazing intently away to the westward meanwhile.  At
+first he could see nothing; but presently, being remarkably keen of
+sight, he caught what he was looking for, some three miles away.  At
+this distance it was of course quite impossible to discern details with
+the unaided eye; but as he gazed the impression grew upon him of
+something moving there; the suggestion conveyed was that of a fluttering
+or waving movement, as though some one were endeavouring to attract the
+attention of those on board the brig.  And the longer he gazed, the
+stronger grew the conviction that there really was some living thing
+upon that floating mass of wreckage.  He stared at it until his eyes
+ached; and finally he hailed--
+
+"On deck there!  I am almost certain that you are mistaken in your
+supposition that there is no one on that wreckage.  I cannot of course
+be absolutely sure without the glass; but _with_ it, there could be no
+possibility of mistake.  Captain Potter, I appeal to you, as one sailor
+to another; I appeal to your humanity; send me up the glass that I may
+set this question at rest.  Surely you would not willingly or knowingly
+leave a fellow-creature to perish miserably, rather than take the
+trouble to investigate--"
+
+"Will you come down out of that, or won't you?" demanded Potter,
+angrily:
+
+Then, seeing that Leslie was again gazing eagerly out across the glassy
+surface of the water, the skipper shouted--
+
+"Bill and Tom, up with you both into the main-top and fetch that man
+down.  If he won't come peaceably, heave him down!  I'm cap'n of this
+ship, and I don't mean to allow anybody aboard her to disobey my orders.
+Now, hurry, you swabs; no skulking, or I'll freshen your way for you
+with the end of this fore-brace."  And he threateningly threw a coil of
+stout rope off a belaying-pin by way of hastening the movements of the
+two men.
+
+Looking down on deck, Leslie saw the seamen spring with some alacrity
+into the main rigging, and then continue their ascent with exaggerated
+deliberateness, mumbling to each other meanwhile.  And as they did so,
+he saw Miss Trevor step quickly to Potter's side and lay her hand upon
+his arm as she spoke to him--pleadingly, if he might judge by her whole
+attitude, and the low-toned accents of her voice.  He saw Potter seize
+her hand and tuck it under his arm, patting it caressingly for an
+instant ere she snatched it away indignantly and walked from him to the
+other side of the deck; and then the heads of the two men, Bill and Tom,
+showed over the rim of the top.
+
+"Better come down, sir," said one of them.  "The skipper 've got a very
+queer temper, as you may see, sir; and if you don't come he'll lay the
+blame on to us; and'll think nothin' of takin' it out of us with a
+rope's-end."
+
+"Come up here into the top, both of you," commanded Leslie.  "Never
+trouble about your skipper and his temper.  I believe there is some one
+alive, on that wreckage away yonder, and I shall be glad to have your
+opinions upon the matter.  Now," as they joined him in the top, "there
+is the wreckage, about two points on the starboard quarter.  Do you see
+it?"
+
+"Ay, ay sir; I sees it, plain enough," answered the man named Bill;
+while his companion, Tom, replied, "Yes; I can see something afloat out
+there, certingly; but I wouldn't like to take it upon me to say what it
+is."
+
+"Very well," said Leslie, turning to Bill; "you appear to have tolerably
+good eyes--"
+
+"Main-top, there," interrupted Potter, "are you coming down out of that,
+or aren't you?  If you're not, say the word, and I'll come up myself and
+start the lot of you."
+
+"For the Lord's sake, sir, go down, I beg ye; or there'll be something
+like murder up here in a brace of shakes, if the skipper keeps his
+word," exclaimed Tom, in accents of consternation.
+
+"Leave your skipper to me; I will undertake to keep him in order if he
+is ill-advised enough to come up here.  Now," he resumed, turning again
+to Bill, "you seem to have reasonably good eyes.  Look carefully at that
+wreckage, and tell me whether you can see anything having the appearance
+of a man waving a shirt, or something of the kind."
+
+The man looked long and intently, gazing out under the sharp of his
+hand; and presently he turned to Leslie and said--
+
+"Upon my word, sir, I do believe you're right; there _do_ seem to be
+something a wavin' over there--"
+
+The sharp crack of a pistol and the whistle of a ballet close past them
+interrupted the man's speech; and, looking down, they saw Potter
+standing aft near the lashed wheel with a smoking revolver in his hand,
+which he still pointed threateningly at the top.
+
+The two men, without another word, flung themselves simultaneously over
+the edge of the top and made their way precipitately down the rigging,
+while Leslie, swinging himself on to the topmast-backstay, slid lightly
+down it, reaching the deck some seconds ahead of them.  He alighted
+close alongside Miss Trevor, who, with her hands clutched tightly
+together, stood, the image of terror, gazing with horrified eyes at the
+skipper.
+
+In two bounds Leslie reached Potter's side.
+
+"You scoundrel! you infernal scoundrel!" he exclaimed, as with one hand
+he wrenched away the revolver, while with the other he seized the fellow
+by the throat and shook him savagely.  "What do you mean by such
+infamous conduct?  Do you realise that you might have killed one of us?
+Have you gone mad; or what is the matter with you?  Answer me, quick, or
+I will choke the life out of you!"
+
+And, with a final shake that went near to dislocating Potter's neck,
+Leslie flung the fellow furiously from him, dashing him against the rail
+with such violence that, after staggering stupidly for a moment, he sank
+to the deck, sitting there in a dazed condition.
+
+The mate and three or four of the crew came running aft at this
+juncture, with some indefinite idea of interfering; then paused, gazing
+uncertainly from one to the other, evidently undecided as to what
+action, if any, they ought to take.  They looked at the mate; and the
+mate looked at Leslie.
+
+"You had better take him below, and let him lie down for a while, Mr
+Purchas," said Leslie, assuming quite naturally the direction of
+affairs.  "And when you have done so," he continued, "I shall be obliged
+if you will kindly afford me the opportunity for a few minutes'
+conversation."
+
+"All right," answered the mate, "I will.  Yes, that'll be best; let's
+take him below into my cabin.  Lay hold here, Bill, and give me a hand
+to get the skipper down the companion ladder."
+
+With some difficulty they got Potter below and into the mate's cabin,
+where they laid him in the bunk and, making him as comfortable as they
+could, left him to recover his scattered faculties.  Meanwhile, Leslie,
+catching sight of the ship's telescope hanging in beckets in the
+companion-way, took possession of it and, slipping the revolver into his
+jacket pocket, again ascended to the main-top; from which elevation, and
+with the aid of the telescope, he quickly satisfied himself that there
+certainly _was_ at least one living person clinging to the wreckage and
+intermittently waving what looked like a strip of canvas, with the
+evident design of attracting the brig's attention.
+
+By the time that he had assured himself of this fact, Purchas had
+returned to the deck; seeing which, Leslie beckoned him up into the top.
+
+"Look here, Purchas," he said, as the mate scrambled over the rim and
+stood beside him, "I was right in my surmise, there _is_ some living
+person, or persons, on that wreckage.  Take the glass and satisfy
+yourself of the truth of my statement."
+
+The mate took the glass, and presently, removing the instrument from his
+eye, turned to Leslie.
+
+"You are right, Mr Leslie," he said, "there _is_ somebody there, I can
+see him wavin' something.  Now, the question is, what's to be done?  The
+sun's pretty near settin', and it'll be dark in half an hour or
+thereabouts."
+
+"The more need that you should arrive at a prompt decision," interrupted
+Leslie.  "Now, if I may advise, what I would suggest is this.  Let me
+have the quarter-boat and four hands.  I will go down to the wreck and
+bring off anybody who may be upon it, and if it falls dark before we
+return, hoist a lantern to the peak, as a guide to us, and we shall then
+have no difficulty in finding the brig."
+
+The mate considered for a moment.  Then--
+
+"All right," he said, "I'll take upon myself the responsibility of
+agreein' to that.  The skipper'll be madder than ever when he finds out
+what we've done; but I don't care for that, I'm not goin' to leave a
+feller-creature to die on no wreckage, if I can help it.  And if the
+skipper makes a fuss about it, the authorities at home 'll bear me out."
+
+"Of course they will," assented Leslie.  "And now that we have settled
+that point, the sooner a start is made the better.  So please call for
+four volunteers to go with me in the boat, and I'll be off."
+
+Then, while Purchas went forward to muster a boat's crew, Leslie walked
+over to where Miss Trevor stood.
+
+"Oh, Mr Leslie," she exclaimed, "what a _dreadful_ man the captain of
+this ship is!  Is he mad; or what is it that makes him behave in so
+horribly violent a manner?"
+
+"Simply overweening conceit of himself, and an enormously exaggerated
+opinion of his own importance as master of this ridiculous little brig;
+together with, perhaps, an unusually violent and ungovernable temper, I
+imagine," answered Leslie, with a smile.  "I am afraid," he continued,
+"that those mad antics of his with his revolver must have been rather
+terrifying to you.  However, that sort of thing will not occur again--
+unless he happens to have another of them--for I have the weapon now,
+and intend to retain possession of it until we are able to take our
+leave of him, which I hope will be ere long.  Meanwhile, I am going away
+in a boat, for about half an hour, to take a man--or, it may be, a
+woman--off that wreckage that we were trying to reach this morning when
+we sighted this brig.  It is still quite close at hand, and I shall not
+be gone very long.  And during my absence Purchas will look after you
+and see that you come to no harm.  He is a good fellow, in his way, and
+will not allow our mad friend to interfere with you."
+
+"Thank you," she answered, with a shade of the old hauteur in the tones
+of her voice; "I am not in the least afraid.  Mad though the man may be,
+I do not think he will attempt to molest me."
+
+"No," acknowledged Leslie, who had not failed to observe Potter's
+undisguised admiration of the girl, "to be perfectly frank with you, I
+do not think he will.  Ah, here come the men who are going with me in
+the boat.  I must say _au revoir_!"
+
+"Good-bye, for the present," answered Miss Trevor; "I hope you will be
+successful."
+
+"Now then, lads," said Leslie, as the men came aft and began to cast off
+the gripes, "we have no time to lose.  The sun will set in another ten
+minutes, and then it will very soon be dark.  We must look lively, or we
+shall not reach that wreckage without having a troublesome search for
+it.  Ah, that is all right," as he stood on the rail and looked into the
+boat, "I see that her gear is all in her, and that you have kept her
+tight by leaving some water in her.  We may as well get rid of that
+water before we lower her."
+
+And so saying, he stepped into the little craft, and, pulling out the
+plug, allowed the water to run off.
+
+"We are all ready for lowerin', sir," sang out one of the men,
+presently.
+
+"Then lower at once," answered Leslie, as he pushed back the plug into
+its place, "and then jump down into her as quickly as you like."
+
+In another moment the boat squelched gently into the water; the men
+tumbled over the brig's low side into her and unhooked the tackle
+blocks; the man who was going to pull the bow oar raised it in his hands
+and with it bore the boat's bow off the ship's side; the other three men
+threw out their oars; and Leslie crying, "Give way, men," as he grasped
+the yoke lines, the little craft started on her errand of mercy, heading
+straight for the wreckage, the bearings of which in relation to the fast
+setting sun, Leslie had very carefully taken just before the boat was
+lowered.
+
+It was at this moment absolutely a flat calm; there was not the faintest
+breath of air stirring anywhere in the great dome of cloudless sky that
+overarched the brig; the swell had subsided until it was scarcely
+perceptible; and the whole surface of the sea gleamed like a polished
+mirror, faithfully reflecting the rich blue of the sky to the eastward--
+against which the commonplace little brig, illumined by the brilliant
+ruddy orange light of the setting sun, glowed like a gem of exquisite
+beauty--while away to the westward it repeated with equal fidelity the
+burning glories of the dying day.
+
+The sun was just vanishing beneath the horizon when Leslie caught his
+first glimpse of the raft from the stern-sheets of the boat, in which he
+stood, instead of sitting, in order that he might extend his horizon as
+much as possible.  For the next five minutes he was able to steer by the
+glow of the sunset in the sky; but by the end of this time the glow had
+faded to a tender grey, and the night descended upon them almost with
+the rapidity of a falling curtain.  The western sky no longer afforded a
+beacon to steer by, and Leslie found himself obliged to turn round and
+steer backwards, as it were, by the brig.  But in the fast gathering
+gloom she soon became too indefinite an object to be reliable, Leslie
+was therefore obliged to face about once more and select a star for his
+guidance.
+
+The men had been pulling with a will for a full half-hour when suddenly
+the man who was wielding the bow oar arrested his movements, holding his
+dripping blade just clear of the surface of the water, as he cried--
+
+"Hark! did ye hear that, sir?"
+
+"What?" demanded Leslie.
+
+The other three men suspended their efforts as the first man replied--
+
+"Why, I thought I heard somebody singin' out, somewheres.  Ay, I was
+right," he continued, as a faint "Hillo!" came pealing softly across the
+darkling surface of the water.
+
+"Hillo!" answered Leslie, sending a stentorian shout ahead through his
+hollow hands.
+
+"Boat ahoy!" came the answering shout.
+
+"Give way briskly, men," cried Leslie; "the sound seems to be coming
+from straight ahead.  We shall get a sight of something now in a few
+minutes."
+
+The men resumed their pulling with a will, encouraged by the fact that
+the shouts kept up by the unseen man were rapidly becoming clearer, more
+audible, and evidently nearer.  Suddenly a dark mass loomed up ahead and
+another cry told them that they were close aboard the wreckage.
+
+"Oars!" commanded Leslie.  The men ceased pulling, and the individual
+upon the wreckage shouted--
+
+"Boat ahoy! you'll have to pull right round this raffle, and come up on
+t'other side afore you'll be able to take me off.  You can't get
+alongside of me from where you are; there's too much yard-arm and
+splintered spar stickin' out in that direction.  And I daren't jump
+overboard and swim to you, for I've been blockaded all day by sharks--
+see, there's one of them now, close alongside of ye!"
+
+And looking over the side, the crew of the boat beheld, revealed as a
+shape of fire in the highly phosphorescent sea, a monster of fully
+twenty feet in length or more, swimming rapidly along, a few feet below
+the surface; while, some half-a-dozen yards away, a second suddenly
+revealed his presence.
+
+"All right," answered Leslie, "stay where you are; we will pull round to
+the other side."
+
+So said, so done; and five minutes later they had got the man--the only
+occupant of the wreckage as it proved--safe aboard the boat, and were
+pulling back towards the brig, now barely discernible as a small, faint,
+indistinct dark blot against the blue-black, star-spangled sky, with her
+anchor light hoisted to the gaff-end as a guide to the returning rescue
+party.
+
+The rescued man proved to be--as Leslie had already guessed from the
+fellow's manner of speech--one of the foremast hands of the _Golden
+Fleece_.  Like Leslie, he had been dragged under when the ship went
+down, but in his downward journey had encountered what proved to be a
+loose cork fender, to which he had clung desperately.  The buoyancy of
+the fender was sufficient to immediately check his descent into the
+depths, and ultimately to take him back to the surface, where he found
+himself close alongside a mass of top-hamper, consisting of the ship's
+fore-topmast with all attached, that had torn itself adrift from the
+wreck when she went down; and to this he had at once swam, and taken
+refuge upon it.  He told a pathetic tale of the despair that had seized
+him, when, at dawn, he had found himself the sole survivor, as he
+supposed, of the catastrophe; and of the alternations of hope and
+despair that had been his throughout the day when the brig appeared in
+sight, drifted up to within three short miles of him, and there lay
+becalmed.  The most distressing part of his experience, perhaps,
+consisted in the fact that, although an excellent swimmer, and quite
+capable of covering the distance between himself and the brig, he had
+found himself beset by a school of sharks, and therefore dared not
+forsake the refuge of the wreckage, and take to the water.
+
+Upon the return of the boat to the brig, Leslie learned from the mate
+that Potter was still in his bunk, and that the dazed feeling resulting
+from the blow that he had sustained when thrown against the rail still
+seemed to be as acute as ever.  Purchas, indeed, seemed to be growing
+rather anxious about him; and eagerly inquired of Leslie whether the
+latter happened to know anything about medicine; as he thought the time
+had arrived when something ought to be done to help the man back to his
+senses.  Medicine, however, was a branch of science about which Leslie
+happened to know little or nothing; but he readily acceded to Purchas's
+suggestion that he should have a look at the patient; and accordingly--
+although by this time a substantial meal was set out upon the brig's
+cabin table, and the ex-lieutenant felt himself quite prepared to do
+ample justice to it--he forthwith descended to the cabin in which the
+skipper was lying; and, having knocked at the door without getting a
+reply, entered.
+
+It was the same cabin in which he himself had enjoyed some hours of
+sleep after his long spell in the water, and Potter was lying stretched
+at full length upon the bunk that he had previously occupied.  A small
+oil lamp, screwed to the bulkhead, afforded a fairly good light, by the
+aid of which Leslie saw that the man was lying with his eyes wide-open,
+and the eyeballs turned slightly upward, apparently staring at the deck
+above him.  But the gaze was without intelligence; and the fellow
+appeared to be quite unconscious of his surroundings, for he took no
+notice whatever of Leslie's entrance; nor did the eyes waver in the
+least when the latter spoke to him, Leslie laid his hand upon the
+forehead of his late antagonist, and found it cool to the touch,
+although clammy with perspiration.  Then he laid his fingers upon the
+man's wrist, and felt for his pulse, which appeared to be normal.
+Beyond the dazed condition which the man exhibited, there did not appear
+to be much the matter with him; and when at length Leslie left him and
+entered the main cabin--at the table of which he found Purchas and Miss
+Trevor seated, discussing the viands before them--he said as much;
+adding his opinion that the condition in which he found the skipper
+would probably end in sleep, and that the man would no doubt be all
+right in the morning.  The conversation then turned to other matters,
+the mate remarking that he supposed the skipper's indisposition meant an
+all-night job on deck for him (the mate); whereupon Leslie expressed his
+readiness to take charge of a watch until Potter should be able to
+resume duty--an offer which Purchas gladly accepted.  It was arranged
+that, as the preceding night had been a very trying one for Leslie, he
+should take the middle watch; and accordingly, when the meal was over,
+as Miss Trevor, pleading fatigue, retired to the cabin that Potter had
+given up to her, Leslie sought the seclusion of his quarters in the
+longboat, which had been made ready for him, and was soon wrapped in
+sound and dreamless sleep.
+
+He was called at midnight by Purchas, who reported to him with some
+uneasiness that there was no change in the skipper's condition.  The
+night was still beautifully fine, and the weather a flat calm; there was
+therefore nothing calling for Leslie's immediate attention, and he
+readily assented to Purchas's urgent solicitation that he should take
+another look at the patient, and say what he thought of his condition.
+Upon descending to the stuffy little cabin he found that, as the mate
+had reported, there was no marked change in Potter's condition; he still
+lay, as before, without movement, his unseeing eyes upturned, and
+apparently quite unconscious of the presence of the two men who bent
+over him.  The only difference noticeable to Leslie was that the man's
+breathing seemed to be somewhat stertorous.
+
+"Well, what d'ye think of him?" anxiously demanded Purchas, when at
+length Leslie raised himself from his examination.
+
+"To be quite candid with you, Purchas," answered Leslie, "I scarcely
+know what to think; but I am afraid the man's condition is somewhat more
+serious than I thought it to be when I last visited him.  I must confess
+that I do not like this long spell of wakefulness combined with
+unconsciousness of his surroundings.  What is actually wrong I am sorry
+that I cannot say, but the symptoms appear to me to point to an injury
+of the brain.  You have a medicine-chest on board, I suppose?"
+
+"Oh yes," answered Purchas.  "It is in the skipper's cabin."
+
+"Um!" remarked Leslie.  "That is awkward.  We cannot very well gain
+access to it just now without disturbing Miss Trevor; and I do not think
+that the case is urgent enough to demand that we should do that.  But
+to-morrow morning, as soon as the young lady is out of her cabin, we
+will get that medicine-chest and overhaul the book of directions that I
+have no doubt we shall find in it; and perhaps we shall discover a
+description of symptoms somewhat similar to those exhibited by your
+skipper.  And, if so, we will try the remedies recommended.  Now I would
+advise you to turn in; and don't worry about the skipper, for I have no
+doubt that we shall be able to pull him round all right.  And perhaps
+this will be a lesson to him to keep his temper under somewhat better
+control."
+
+"Well, I'm sure I hope it will," answered Purchas.  "If it does that, I
+shan't be sorry that this has happened; for I can tell you, Mr Leslie,
+that when the `old man' gets his back up, as he did this afternoon,
+things grow pretty excitin' aboard this hooker.  Well, good night; and
+if anything happens atween this and eight bells, you might give me a
+call--not but what I expect you're a far better sailor-man than what I
+am."
+
+"Oh, that's all right," laughed Leslie; "I think you may trust me to
+take care of this three-decker of yours.  But if anything happens, and I
+find myself at a loss, I will not fail to call you.  Good night!"
+
+And, so saying, Leslie left the cabin and, making his way up on deck,
+took a sailor-like look at the brilliantly star-lit sky that stretched
+cloudless all round the brig from zenith to horizon, as he thoughtfully
+filled and lit his pipe.
+
+To tell the truth, he was less easy in his mind touching Potter's
+condition than he had allowed Purchas to see.  That the man was
+something more than merely stunned was now undeniable; and although the
+injury might not in itself be serious, the complete ignorance of Purchas
+and himself in relation to medical and surgical matters might possibly
+lead to wrong treatment that, in its turn, might result in complications
+ending, who could say where?  Of course the man had only himself to
+thank for it; his conduct had been provocative to the last degree; yet
+Leslie had been animated by no vindictive feeling when he had attacked
+the man, still less had he intended to inflict any serious injury upon
+him; he had, indeed, acted solely in self-defence in taking the fellow's
+revolver away from him; and as to the violence that had accompanied the
+act--well he himself considered it perfectly excusable under the
+circumstances; and so, he believed, would any unprejudiced person.
+Nevertheless, he regretted the incident; he would much rather that it
+had not happened; and while dismissing the subject from his mind, for
+the moment, he resolved that henceforth he would keep himself much
+better in hand in his dealings with the man.
+
+The calm continued throughout Leslie's watch; and when at eight bells he
+turned over the charge of the deck to Purchas, the brig, save for an
+occasional lazy and almost imperceptible heave on the now invisible
+swell, was as motionless as a house.
+
+When, however, Purchas called him at seven bells--thus allowing him time
+to wash and dress in readiness for breakfast at eight o'clock, Leslie
+found, upon turning out, that while the morning was as gloriously fine
+as the preceding night had been, the brilliant blue of the sky overhead
+was streaked here and there with light touches of cirrus cloud, the
+forerunners of a breeze that was already wrinkling the surface of the
+azure sea and causing it to sparkle as though strewed with diamond dust
+in the wake of the sun, while it just filled the brig's sails
+sufficiently to keep them asleep and give the old tub steerage-way.  The
+watch were just finishing off the task of washing decks; the men going
+over the streaming planks with swabs and squeegees, to remove the
+superfluous water, while Purchas, sitting on the stern grating, was
+drying his bare feet with a towel preparatory to drawing on his socks
+and shoes.  Miss Trevor was not visible.
+
+The mate, having bade Leslie good morning, proceeded to inform him that
+the breeze, which was breathing out from the eastward, had come up with
+the sun, and that he hoped it would freshen as the day grew older;
+winding up with an earnest aspiration that it would last long enough to
+run them into the "Trades."  Then, having donned his foot coverings, he
+drew Leslie aside, out of hearing of the helmsman, to impart the
+information that, having visited the "old man's" cabin an hour
+previously, he had found him no better, and that he was beginning to
+feel "downright anxious" about him.
+
+Hearing this, Leslie proposed that they should both go down together, to
+investigate Potter's condition; and Purchas eagerly acquiescing, they
+presently found themselves once more bending over the sick man.
+
+As the mate had said, there was no perceptible change in the skipper's
+appearance, save that, as Leslie thought, his breathing was a trifle
+more stertorous.  He was lying in precisely the same attitude that he
+had assumed when first placed in the bunk; indeed, the two men agreed
+that, so far as they could see, he had not moved a limb from that
+moment.  While they stood there together, discussing the man's
+disconcerting condition, faint rustling, as of garments, outside the
+cabin door, accompanied by light footsteps upon the companion ladder,
+apprised them of the fact that Miss Trevor was moving, and had gone on
+deck; whereupon Leslie went out and followed her.  He found her standing
+just to windward of the companion, gazing with visible delight at the
+brilliant and sparkling scene around her.  She had evidently rested
+well, for she looked as fresh and wholesome as the morning itself; and
+although her costume was somewhat shrunken, and showed here and there
+patches of whitish discolouration from its long immersion in the sea,
+she still presented a picture of grace calculated to charm the most
+fastidious eye.
+
+Lifting his cap, Leslie stepped forward and greeted her, bidding her
+good morning, and remarking that he hoped she had slept as well as her
+appearance seemed to suggest; to which she replied, laughingly, that she
+had, and that she hoped she could return the compliment.
+
+"Oh yes," answered Leslie; "I have slept admirably, thanks.  I have had
+eight hours in, and four hours--the four hours of the middle watch--on
+deck, having undertaken to stand watch and watch with Purchas during the
+skipper's indisposition, the mention of which brings me to the point of
+asking you, Miss Trevor, whether you will permit me to enter your cabin
+for the purpose of removing a medicine-chest that, I understand from the
+mate, is there."
+
+"Yes, certainly," assented the girl, "you may enter it at once, if you
+wish, Mr Leslie.  I have tidied it up myself this morning, and intend
+to do so regularly in future; it will provide me with something to do.
+But you spoke of Captain Potter's indisposition.  Is he unwell, then?"
+
+"Why, yes," said Leslie; "he appears to be.  The fact is, that he has
+not yet recovered from the blow that he received yesterday evening when
+he forced upon me the disagreeable necessity to disarm him.  He has lain
+unconscious the whole night through, without moving so much as a muscle,
+so far as one can see; and, to tell you the whole truth, Purchas and I
+are beginning to feel more than a trifle uneasy about him.  Hence my
+request for permission to have access to the medicine-chest."
+
+"Oh dear, I am _so_ sorry," exclaimed the girl, a note of concern at
+once entering her voice.  "Pray go at once, Mr Leslie, I beg, and do
+whatever you may deem necessary.  I _hope_ it will not prove that the
+captain is seriously injured; it will be so--so--very--embarrassing for
+you."
+
+"Well," answered Leslie, "of course I should be very sorry if, as you
+say, anything serious were to happen; but, even so, the man will only
+have himself to thank for it."
+
+And, with this attempt to justify himself, Leslie raised his cap again,
+and vanished down the companion-way.
+
+As his footsteps sounded on the companion ladder, Purchas emerged from
+the cabin occupied by Potter, and joined him.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR.
+
+DEATH OF THE SKIPPER.
+
+"Well, Mr Leslie," inquired the mate, "is there any chance of our
+coming at that medicine-chest?  To speak plainly, I don't half like the
+look of the skipper, and that's a fact.  It ain't natural for a man to
+lie like that, hour a'ter hour, without movin'; and the sooner we can
+bring him back to his senses, the better I shall be pleased."
+
+"Yes," answered Leslie, "I quite understand how you feel about the
+matter, and I feel quite as anxious as you do about it; more so,
+possibly, since it is I who am responsible for the man's condition.  I
+shall be bitterly grieved if he proves to be seriously injured; but in
+any case I hope you will understand that it was impossible for me to
+allow him to retain possession of his revolver.  He had clearly
+conceived an extraordinary aversion for me, and exhibited it without
+restraint.  I believe that when he fired at me he fully intended to kill
+me, if he could, and I was compelled to act in self-defence.  If a man
+allows his temper to get the better of him to that extent, he must take
+the consequences.  But here we are," as he threw open the door of Miss
+Trevor's cabin, "and that, I take it, is the medicine-chest;" pointing
+to a fairly large chest standing against the bulkhead.
+
+"Yes," assented Purchas, "that's the chest.  Better have it out of this
+into the main cabin, hadn't we?  Then we shan't be obliged to disturb
+the lady whenever we want to get at it."
+
+"Certainly," agreed Leslie; "I was about to suggest it."
+
+And therewith the two men seized, each of them, a handle and carried the
+box into the main cabin, placing it conveniently for pushing it under
+the table, out of the way, when not required.  The chest was unlocked,
+and they threw it open, disclosing an interior fitted with a tray on
+top, which contained a long tin tubular case labelled "Diachylon
+Plaster," surgical scissors, surgical needles, rolls of bandage, and
+numerous other surgical instruments and appliances; while, underneath
+the tray, the body of the chest was full of jars and bottles containing
+drugs, each distinctly labelled, and each fitted into its own special
+compartment.  There was also in the chest a book setting forth in detail
+the symptoms of nearly every imaginable disease, with its appropriate
+treatment, and also the proper course to pursue in the event of injury.
+The book was furnished with a very complete index, to facilitate prompt
+reference.
+
+This book they took out and laid open upon the cabin table, now spread
+with the breakfast equipage.  Anxiously they pored over its pages,
+finding more than one reference that seemed fairly to fit the case; and
+at length Leslie, to whose judgment the mate seemed disposed to defer,
+decided upon a treatment, which they proceeded forthwith to act upon.
+It consisted in the administration of a draught, and the application of
+a blister; and owing to the absolute insensibility of the skipper and
+his consequent powerlessness to assist in any way it was a somewhat
+lengthy job; but they completed it at last, and then went to breakfast.
+
+As it was not expected that any visible result of their treatment would
+become apparent for the first hour or so, they did not visit the skipper
+at the conclusion of the meal; but Purchas went to his cabin and turned
+in, leaving Leslie in charge of the deck--the latter undertaking to call
+the mate at seven bells, in time to take the meridian altitude of the
+sun at noon, for the determination of the brig's latitude.
+
+During the time that Leslie had been occupied below he had been
+conscious of the fact that the breeze was freshening, as was evidenced
+by the increasing heel of the brig and her growing liveliness of
+movement; and when at length he went on deck and relieved the carpenter,
+who had been temporarily in charge, he found quite a smart breeze
+blowing from about due east, and the brig, with her weather-braces
+slightly checked, and everything set, to her royals, staggering along,
+with a great deal of fuss and much churning up of water about her bluff
+bows, at a speed of some six knots.  He glanced aloft and saw that her
+topgallant-masts were whipping and buckling like fishing-rods.
+
+"Hillo, Chips," he said good-humouredly, "so you are one of the
+carrying-on school, I see.  But what about those sticks aloft; aren't
+you trying them rather severely?  Of course you ought to know their
+condition better than I do; but it looks to me as though you are giving
+them rather more than they ought to be asked to do."
+
+"Oh, they're goodish sticks, sir, are them topgallant-masts, and the
+skipper's a rare hand for carryin' on; she ain't no clipper, as I dare
+say you've noticed, sir; but the cap'n makes a p'int of gettin' every
+inch out of her as she's capable of doin' of.  All the same, sir, I
+believe it's about time them royals was took in."
+
+"So do I," agreed Leslie, as a somewhat fresher puff took the brig and
+caused the spars to buckle still more ominously.  "Royal halliards, let
+go!  Clew up and furl!" he shouted to the men who were lounging on the
+forecastle over some tasks that they were performing in the leisurely
+manner usual with merchant seamen.
+
+The carpenter sprang to the main royal halliards and let them run; a man
+forward dropped the serving-mallet that he was using, and did the same
+with the fore royal halliards; and while two other hands started the
+sheets and began to drag upon the clewlines, a third shambled aft and
+helped the carpenter to clew up the main royal.
+
+This relieved the brig a trifle; but there was a hard look about the sky
+to windward that promised still more wind; so Leslie said--
+
+"The breeze is coming still stronger before long, Chips; you had
+therefore better make one job of it, and take in the topgallantsails as
+well.  And when that is done, if the men are not better engaged, let
+them get to work and set up the topgallant and royal rigging fore and
+aft; it is shockingly slack--hanging fairly in bights, in fact--and is
+affording practically no support to the spars."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" answered the carpenter, who was acting also as boatswain.
+"I've had my eye on that riggin' for the last day or two; it wants
+settin' up badly, and I'll attend to it at once."
+
+The men had got the canvas clewed up, and were aloft furling it when
+Miss Trevor emerged through the companion-way; and Leslie, with a word
+of greeting, hastened to arrange a deck-chair for her accommodation on
+the lee side of the deck, within the shadow of the main trysail; for
+although there was a slight veil of thin, streaky cloud overspreading
+the sky, the sun shone through it with an ardour that made shelter of
+some sort from it very acceptable, especially to a girl who might be
+supposed to set some value upon her complexion.  She accepted Leslie's
+attentions with a brief word or two of thanks, uttered in tones that
+suggested an inclination to revert to her former unapproachable
+attitude; and the ex-lieutenant at once left her to herself, passing
+over to the weather side of the deck and devoting himself strictly to
+his duties as officer of the watch.
+
+At seven bells he called Purchas, who presently made his appearance on
+deck, with an old-fashioned quadrant in his hand.  He looked aloft, and
+then to windward, noted the changes that Leslie had affected, and
+graciously expressed his approval of them.  Then he said--
+
+"I s'pose, Mr Leslie, you're a first-class navigator and know all about
+shootin' the sun?"
+
+"Naturally, I do," answered Leslie; "navigation is, of course, an
+essential part of the education and training of a naval officer; and I
+learned all in that line that they thought it necessary to teach me a
+good many years ago."
+
+"Ay, so I supposed," returned Purchas.  "As for me, I've learned what
+was required to enable me to get my certificate; but, after all, I don't
+really understand it properly.  I can take the sun at noon, of course,
+and work out the ship's latitood; but, even at that, I've got no very
+great faith in myself; and as to the longitood--well, there; I always
+feels that I may be right or I may be wrong.  I never was much of a hand
+at figures.  So, if you've no objections, I'd take it very kind of you
+if you'd lend me a hand at this job while the skipper's on his
+beam-ends.  He's got a real dandy sextant in his cabin that I'll take it
+upon me to let you have the use of; and the chronometer's in there too.
+We might as well have them things out of there too, then we shan't have
+to disturb the young lady every time we wants 'em."
+
+Leslie quite agreed as to the desirability of this, and he also
+cheerfully undertook to check and assist Purchas in his navigation.  The
+latter therefore went below to make the necessary transfer, and
+presently returned to the deck, carrying Potter's sextant--a very
+handsome and valuable instrument--in his hand.  This he handed to
+Leslie; and as the time was now drawing well on towards noon, the two
+men betook themselves to the forecastle--the sun being over the jib-boom
+end--and proceeded to take the meridian altitude of the luminary.  This
+done, "eight bells" was struck, the watch called, and Leslie and the
+mate returned aft to work out their calculations.  As a result, there
+proved to be a difference of two miles between them; nothing very
+serious, but enough to prove that Purchas's doubts of himself were fully
+justified.
+
+Upon being called by Leslie, the mate had looked in upon Potter for a
+moment on his way up on deck, but had failed to discover any improvement
+in his condition.  He now suggested that they should both go below and
+subject their patient to a closer examination--which they did.
+
+As Purchas had already remarked, there was no apparent improvement in
+Potter's condition; on the contrary, when Leslie felt his pulse it
+seemed to him that it was weaker.  This, however, might be accounted for
+by the fact that the man had taken no nourishment from the moment that
+he had sustained his injury, and owing to his absolute helplessness, it
+seemed impossible to administer any to him.  A further study of the book
+of directions accompanying the medicine-chest, however, instructed them
+how to overcome this difficulty; and, summoning the steward, the mate
+forthwith gave him instructions to kill a chicken and have some broth
+prepared as quickly as possible.  Meanwhile the blister was snipped and
+dressed, another dose of medicine administered, with considerable
+difficulty, and the man was once more left to himself, the
+self-constituted physicians having then done all, for the moment, that
+was possible.
+
+"I wish something big would come along--a man-o'-war, for instance,"
+observed Leslie, as he and the mate left the cabin together; "we could
+then signal for medical assistance.  A properly qualified doctor could
+soon say precisely what is wrong, and what would be the proper treatment
+to adopt.  And if the case is really serious--as, to be frank with you,
+Purchas, I am beginning to fear it is--we might even trans-ship him, and
+thus give him the best chance possible for his life.  You, of course, in
+such an event, would fully report all the circumstances of the case, and
+I should accompany the man to the other ship, to take the responsibility
+for whatever might happen.  And Miss Trevor would go with me, since she,
+of course, now wishes to return home--failing an opportunity to continue
+her voyage to Australia or India--as soon as possible.  What do you
+think of my plan?"
+
+"Why," answered Purchas, "it seems a good enough plan, so far as it
+goes.  And if that there ship that you're talkin' about could spare me a
+navigator to help me take the brig to Valparaiso, why, I'd be perfectly
+satisfied.  But there don't seem to be much chance of our fallin' in
+with nothin'; we haven't spoke a single craft of any sort this side of
+Finisterre."
+
+"The greater the likelihood of our doing so soon," remarked Leslie.  "It
+may be quite worth while to keep an especially bright look-out, with a
+view to the intercepting of anything that may happen to heave in sight."
+
+On board small craft of the _Mermaid_ type it is usual to have dinner
+served in the cabin at midday; and accordingly, the steward having
+already announced that the meal was on the table, and summoned Miss
+Trevor, Leslie and Purchas entered the cabin and proceeded to dine.  It
+was Leslie's afternoon watch below and his eight hours out that night,
+so he decided to lie down on the cabin lockers and get an hour or two's
+sleep after he had smoked his pipe on deck.  Before doing so, however,
+he went forward to the galley to inquire how the chicken broth was
+progressing, and finding that it was ready, he took it aft, and, on his
+way below, requested Purchas to accompany him, and assist him to
+administer it.
+
+The two men entered the cabin together, and stepped to the side of the
+bunk.  The figure of Potter still lay exactly as they had left him; but
+as Leslie stood for a moment gazing, he gradually became aware that a
+subtle change in the man's appearance had taken place; through the
+swarthy tints of the sunburnt complexion an ashen grey hue seemed to
+have spread.  He bent closer, and laid his hand upon the wrist, feeling
+for the pulse.  There was no beat perceptible.  He moistened the back of
+his hand and laid it close to the lips, waiting anxiously to feel the
+breath playing upon the moistened skin.  He could detect nothing.  Then
+he laid his hand upon the man's chest, over his heart.  The chest had
+ceased to heave; and there was not the faintest throb of the heart, so
+far as he could feel.  Finally, he snatched a small mirror from the nail
+on which it was hanging, and laid it gently, face downward, on Potter's
+mouth.  He left it there for fully two minutes; and when at length he
+lifted it again its surface was still bright and undimmed as before.  He
+carefully hung the mirror upon its nail again, and, turning to the mate,
+said--
+
+"Mr Purchas, I regret to inform you that Captain Potter is dead!"
+
+"Dead!" ejaculated Purchas.  "No, no; he can't _be_! there must be some
+mistake."
+
+"I very greatly fear that there is _no_ mistake about it," returned
+Leslie.  "I have seen death, in my time, too often not to recognise it.
+You will observe that breathing has ceased; neither can I find any trace
+of a pulse, or the slightest flutter of the heart-beat.  All these
+symptoms are, I believe, quite consistent with a state of trance; and,
+remembering that, we must of course be careful to do nothing
+precipitately.  But I am convinced that the man is really dead--a very
+short time will suffice, in this climate, to demonstrate whether or not
+that is the case--and I would advise you to give immediate instructions
+to have the necessary preparations made for his burial.  Should my
+surmise prove correct, you are now the master of this brig; and as such
+you will of course adopt such measures with regard to me, as the
+immediate cause of this misfortune, as you may deem fit.  But there is
+no necessity to put me in irons; I cannot very well escape."
+
+"Put you in irons!" ejaculated Purchas; "I should think not.  No, Mr
+Leslie, you had no intention of killin' the skipper; I'll swear to that.
+It was an accident; neither more nor less.  How was you to know that a
+great strong man, like he was, was goin' to stagger back and hit his
+head again' the rail, same as he did?  And he provoked you; all hands
+'ll bear witness to that; he shot at ye, and you was quite justified in
+takin' his revolver away from him.  Oh no, there'll be no puttin' of you
+in irons so long as I'm skipper o' this brig.  But of course I shall
+have to make a hentry of the whole affair in the official log-book; and
+now you'll have to go on with the brig to Valparaiso, whether or no, to
+hear what the British Consul there have got to say about it."
+
+"Certainly," assented Leslie, "I shall make no difficulty about that.
+And I have not very much fear as to the result.  But, as to Miss Trevor,
+I hope you will seize the first suitable opportunity that occurs to
+trans-ship her.  She, poor girl, will now be more anxious than ever to
+get away from this vessel."
+
+"Yes, yes; of course she will," agreed Purchas.  "And I suppose, Mr
+Leslie," he continued, "you won't have any objections to continue
+lending me a hand to work and navigate this brig?  Now that the
+skipper's gone I shall need help more'n ever."
+
+"You may rely upon me, Mr Purchas, to do everything in my power to help
+you," answered Leslie.  "And now," he continued, "while you are making
+the arrangements of which I just now spoke, I will go on deck and make
+Miss Trevor acquainted with the news of our misfortune."
+
+Miss Trevor received the news of Potter's demise with a few expressions
+of well-bred regret, but she did not appear to be very greatly concerned
+at the event.  It could scarcely be otherwise.  In the first place, she
+had only been in the man's company a very few hours; and although he had
+certainly picked her and Leslie up--thus saving them in all probability
+from a lingering and painful death--he could scarcely have acted
+otherwise, seeing that he had nothing to do but give orders for a few
+rope's ends to be dropped over the side to them.  Then, although she had
+given no sign of it, his manner toward her had been such as to fill her
+with vague fear; while his behaviour toward Leslie, when that individual
+had unavailingly attempted to convince him of the presence of another
+survivor upon the floating wreckage, was scarcely of a kind to inspire a
+woman with confidence or respect.
+
+By eight bells in the afternoon watch there was no longer room for doubt
+that Potter was really dead; and this being the case, Purchas very
+wisely decided to bury the body at once, and get rid of it.  At his
+summons, therefore, the carpenter and another man came aft with a square
+of canvas, palm, needle, and twine to sew up the body, and a short
+length of rusty chain--routed out from the fore-peak--wherewith to sink
+it.  Meanwhile the brig's ensign was hoisted half-mast high, and the men
+were ordered to "clean" themselves in readiness for the funeral--all
+work being knocked off for the remainder of the day.  Upon being
+apprised of what was about to take place, Miss Trevor retired to her
+cabin.
+
+The process of sewing up the body and preparing it for burial occupied
+about half an hour, by which time the men were all ready.  Meanwhile
+Leslie had been coaching Purchas--who frankly confessed his ignorance--
+as to the part he was to perform; it being of course his duty, as master
+of the ship, to read the burial service.
+
+The carpenter having reported that the body was ready, two more men came
+aft, bearing with them a grating which they laid down on the deck
+alongside the companion.  They then descended to the berth wherein the
+dead man lay and, assisted by the carpenter and the man who had helped
+to sew up the body in its canvas shroud, carried the corpse, with some
+difficulty--owing to its weight, and the cramped dimensions of the berth
+and the companion-way--up on deck, where it was laid upon the grating,
+and a spare ensign spread over it as a pall.  Then the four men raised
+the grating and its burden to their shoulders, and with Purchas in front
+reading the burial service, and Leslie following behind, all, of course,
+uncovered, the little procession moved slowly along the deck to the lee
+gangway, where the rest of the crew, also uncovered, awaited it.
+Arrived at the gangway, the grating was laid upon the rail, with the
+feet of the body pointing outboard; the carpenter and his assistant
+supporting the inner end of the grating.
+
+Shorn though the ceremony necessarily was of most of the solemn
+formalism that characterises an interment ashore, and further marred in
+its effectiveness by the droning tones in which Purchas deemed it proper
+to read the beautiful and solemn words of the prescribed ritual, it was,
+nevertheless, profoundly impressive, the peculiar circumstances of the
+case, and the setting of the picture, so to speak--the small brig out
+there alone upon the boundless world of waters, the little group of
+weather-beaten bare-headed men surrounding the stark and silent figure
+upon the grating, who a few brief hours before had been the head and
+chief of their small community; the man to whose knowledge and skill
+they had willingly committed their fortunes and themselves, who had
+ruled them as with a rod of iron, whose will was their law, who had held
+their very lives in his hands, at whose caprice they were either happy
+or miserable, and who now lay there without the power to move so much as
+a finger either to help or hurt them, and whose lifeless clay they were
+about to launch to its last resting-place, there to repose "till the sea
+gives up her dead,"--this, with the wailing moan of the wind aloft, the
+sobbing of the water alongside, and the solemn glory of the dying day
+all uniting to imbue the scene and the occasion with a profundity of
+sadness and a sublimity that would have been impossible under other
+circumstances.  And so deeply was Leslie moved by it that, for the first
+time since the words of his cruel and unjust sentence had fallen upon
+his ears, he once more felt, to conviction, that God the Creator, God
+the Ordainer, God the Father was and must be an ever-living and
+omnipotent entity.  And for the first time, also, since then he followed
+the prayers that Purchas droned out with an earnest and heartfelt
+sincerity at which he felt himself vaguely astonished.
+
+At length the mate reached the words in the service, "we therefore
+commit his body to the deep," whereupon the two men who supported the
+inner end of the grating tilted it high, and the heavily weighted body,
+sliding out from beneath the outspread ensign, plunged with a sullen
+splash into its lonely grave.  The remainder of the service was quickly
+gone through; and as the little party of mourners rose from their knees
+with the pronouncement of the last "Amen," the sun's disc vanished in a
+blaze of indescribable glory beneath the horizon, while at the same
+moment "four bells" pealed out along the brig's deck.
+
+"Go for'ard, men," ordered Purchas, replacing his cap upon his head;
+"and see that that gratin' is stowed away again in its proper place.
+Haul down that ensign, one of you.  And whose trick at the wheel is it?"
+
+For the next three or four days nothing worthy of mention occurred on
+board the brig, save that the breeze which had sprung up on the morning
+of the day of Potter's death held good, and ran them fairly into the
+Trades.  Our next vision of the _Mermaid_, therefore, shows her bruising
+along under all plain sail, including fore and main royals, together
+with port topgallant and topmast studding-sails on the main, and topmast
+and lower studding-sails on the foremast; the rigging having in the
+interim been properly set up, so that the brig could carry that amount
+of canvas without jeopardy to her spars.
+
+The death and burial of the late skipper had permitted of a certain
+modification of arrangements aft.  Thus, while Miss Trevor was, by
+Purchas's natural courtesy, allowed to retain possession of the late
+Potter's cabin, as the best and most commodious berth in the brig,
+Purchas had transferred the chronometer, charts and other paraphernalia
+appertaining to the navigation of the brig, to his own cabin, which he
+once more occupied; Leslie moving from the longboat into the steward's
+cabin, now vacated by Purchas.  With the permission of the latter, also,
+Leslie had appropriated to his own use Potter's somewhat extensive kit--
+the two men being much of a size, although Potter had been of
+considerably stouter build.  This, of course, conduced greatly to
+Leslie's comfort, as it afforded him, among other advantages, a
+much-needed change of linen; although the ex-lieutenant did not assume
+possession of these articles without certain inward qualms that, under
+the circumstances, were not to be wondered at.
+
+Then it presently transpired that Potter--who had possessed a shrewd eye
+for a money-making speculation--had, before leaving London, invested a
+considerable sum in articles of various kinds that he knew, from
+experience, he would be able to dispose of at a huge profit, upon his
+arrival at Valparaiso; and among these there happened to be a capacious
+case of ladies' clothing.  This case Leslie also commandeered, giving to
+Purchas, in exchange, a signed agreement to pay to Potter's heirs,
+executors, or assigns--if such could be found upon their return to
+England--the full value of the goods, as well as of the clothing that
+Leslie had appropriated to his own use.  This case of clothing, together
+with the other goods included in the speculation, were, as Purchas
+happened to know, stowed in the after hold, on top of the cargo; Leslie
+therefore lost no time in having the hatches lifted and the case hoisted
+on deck, and opened.  Then he summoned Miss Trevor upon the scene, and
+invited her to overhaul the case and help herself freely to the whole or
+such part of the contents as she might find of service to her; with the
+result that the lady soon found herself in possession of an ample if
+somewhat showy wardrobe, to her infinite comfort and contentment.
+
+During the whole of this time, it may be remarked, not a single sail of
+any description had been sighted; although Leslie, keenly anxious to
+meet the wishes of Miss Trevor in the matter of trans-shipment, had
+caused a bright look-out for ships to be maintained throughout both day
+and night.
+
+A week, or maybe rather more than that, had elapsed since Potter's death
+when Leslie discovered what appeared to him a fresh cause for the
+apprehension of future trouble.  It was Purchas who this time gave rise
+to the apprehension.  The fellow had, from the moment when Leslie and
+Miss Trevor first came aboard the brig, been exceedingly civil and
+obliging to them both, cheerfully doing everything that lay in his power
+to make them comfortable.  It is true that, perhaps in return for this,
+he had not hesitated to invoke Leslie's assistance in the matter of
+navigating the brig, and standing a watch--in fact, performing the
+duties of a mate; but this, under the circumstances, was perfectly
+natural, and quite in accord with Leslie's own inclination.
+
+But later, within a few days of Potter's death, indeed, Leslie thought
+he detected in Purchas an inclination to shirk some of the more
+important duties of the ship, such as the navigation of her, for
+instance, and relegate them entirely to him.  Even this, however, did
+not greatly worry Leslie.  In any case, he always took the necessary
+observations for the determination of the brig's latitude and longitude,
+independently of Purchas; and whether the latter checked his
+observations or not was a matter of indifference to him, since he had
+the fullest confidence in the accuracy of his own work--a confidence,
+indeed, that Purchas appeared to fully share, since, in the event of any
+discrepancy between them, the new skipper always accepted Leslie's
+results in preference to his own.  This, however, was not the chief
+cause of Leslie's disquietude, which arose from the fact that on more
+than one occasion, when it had been his "eight hours out," he had
+noticed, when calling Purchas at midnight, that the latter's breath had
+smelt strongly of rum, and that the man, upon taking the deck, had
+appeared to be strongly under the influence of drink.  So markedly,
+indeed, was this the case upon a recent occasion that Leslie had taxed
+him with it.
+
+"Look here, Mr Purchas," he had remarked, "you have been mixing your
+`nightcap' too strong to-night, and are scarcely in a fit condition to
+have charge of the brig.  Go below and sleep it off.  I will take your
+watch for you, with pleasure."
+
+"Oh, will you?"  Purchas had retorted disagreeably.  "Le' me tell you,
+shir, tha' you'll do nothin' o' short; I'm qui' cap'le lookin' after
+thi' ship or any other ship that ever was built; and I won' have you or
+any other man tryin' take my charac'er away.  You go b'low an' leave me
+'lone.  D'ye hear?"
+
+Seeing at once that the man was in much too quarrelsome a condition to
+be satisfactorily reasoned with, Leslie had at once left him and gone
+below; only to return, however, within the next ten minutes to find
+Purchas stretched at full length upon a hencoop, fast asleep and snoring
+stertorously.
+
+On the morning following this incident Leslie, finding the skipper once
+more sober and, as usual under those circumstances, quite genial and
+friendly, tackled him again upon the subject.
+
+"I want to talk to you very seriously, Purchas," he said, as the two
+walked the weather side of the deck together, smoking, after breakfast.
+"You are now the skipper of this brig, you know; and, as such, are
+accountable to nobody but your owners for your conduct.  But this, as I
+have understood you to say, is your first command; and whether you
+retain it or not after the termination of this voyage must necessarily
+depend to a very great extent upon your behaviour _now_.  Insobriety is,
+as I need hardly tell you, the one unpardonable sin in the eyes of a
+shipowner.  No man will knowingly entrust his property to the care of
+another who, even only occasionally, permits himself to take too much
+liquor, because he can never know just when that overdose may be taken.
+He is always ready to believe that it may be imbibed at the most
+inopportune moment, and that the master of his ship may be under its
+influence at the precise instant when the safety of the ship, crew, and
+cargo demand his utmost vigilance and most intelligent resource.  And
+although you may imagine that what you do out here in mid-ocean cannot
+possibly reach the ears of your owner, you must not forget that sailors
+have a keen eye for what goes on aft; a skipper cannot get drunk without
+the fact reaching the sharp ears of those in the forecastle.  It is one
+of the easiest things in the world for an officer to acquire, among his
+crew, a reputation for insobriety; and, once they get ashore, you may
+trust them to talk about it freely, very often adding embellishments of
+their own.  The reputation of a ship-master is in the hands of his crew;
+and if he is foolish enough to afford them the opportunity, they may be
+depended upon to ruin it for him.  Besides, I want you to remember your
+responsibilities as master of this brig.  I will undertake to look after
+her and see that nothing goes wrong during the time that I have charge
+of the deck; but I cannot _always_ be on deck, you know; and if you
+should happen to be intoxicated and incapable--as you were last night--
+while I am below, what would be the result of a sudden squall, for
+instance?  Or how is the craft to be kept clear of possible collision on
+a dark and dirty night?  There are a thousand sudden emergencies
+constantly threatening the seaman, any one of which may arise at a
+moment's notice."
+
+"Yes, yes," answered Purchas, somewhat impatiently; "I know all about
+that.  I've heard it all a thousand times before; heard it until I'm
+sick of it.  But there's no call to make a fuss about it; I own up that
+I was just a little bit `sprung' last night; but what of it?  The night
+was fine and clear, the `glass' was steady, and there wasn't nothin'
+anywheres within sight of us; so where was the danger?"
+
+"There was none, as it fortunately happened," admitted Leslie.  "But who
+is to know what will occur within the limits of a four-hours' watch?
+Suppose, for instance, that I had not chanced to notice your condition,
+and had turned in; and that while you were lying unconscious upon that
+hencoop a sudden squall had struck the brig, what would have happened?
+Why, the craft might have been dismasted, or even, perhaps, capsized!
+And where should we all have been, in that case?"
+
+"Well, ye see, we warn't dismasted, let alone capsized, so there's no
+harm done," answered Purchas, testily.  "All the same," he added, in
+more moderate tones, "I'm willin' to admit that there's a good deal of
+reason in your argufication, so I'll go slow in future; I don't say that
+I won't take a glass or so of grog of an evenin' if I feels to want it;
+but I'll take care not to swaller enough of it to capsize me again."
+
+"You would do far better to swear off it altogether," asserted Leslie.
+"You would be glad, afterwards, that you had done so.  You are an
+excellent seaman; and I shall be more than glad to help you to perfect
+yourself in navigation, if you will allow me, so that there should be
+nothing to stand in the way of your getting your master's certificate
+upon your return to England.  And with that, and a reputation for
+reliability such as you can acquire during this voyage, there should be
+nothing to prevent your continuing in the command of this brig, or even
+of your getting something very much better.  And now, I think, it is
+about time for us to get our sights for the longitude."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE.
+
+A TRAGEDY; AND A NARROW ESCAPE.
+
+For the next two or three days Purchas faithfully adhered to his promise
+to refrain from taking enough liquor to "capsize" him; when, again at
+midnight, on going below to call him, Leslie found the fellow so
+completely intoxicated that it was impossible to arouse him; and he had
+perforce to remain on deck the whole night through.  And when at length,
+at the expiration of the morning watch, he again went below, hoping to
+find that the man had at all events so far slept off the effects of his
+over-night debauch as to be capable of coming on deck and sobering
+himself by taking a douche under the head pump, he discovered, to his
+intense disgust, that this glib maker of promises had somehow obtained a
+further supply of rum during the night, and was at that moment in a more
+helpless state than ever!  The brig was, however, by this time within a
+day's sail of the equator, where Leslie felt tolerably certain that they
+would fall in with one or more homeward-bound ships, and so be able to
+transfer Miss Trevor to safer and more eligible quarters; so he did not
+allow the incident to worry him greatly.  He remained on deck long
+enough to secure sights for his longitude; and then, turning over the
+care of the brig to the carpenter--a very steady and trustworthy man--he
+went below and turned in, giving orders that he was to be called at
+seven bells; adding, in explanation of Purchas's non-appearance, that he
+was not very well.
+
+It seemed that he had been asleep but a few minutes when the carpenter,
+in pursuance of his instructions, knocked at his cabin door, with the
+information that seven bells had gone.  He accordingly rose, plunged his
+head into a basin of cold water, and within ten minutes was once more on
+deck, with Potter's sextant in his hand, ready to take the sun's
+meridian altitude, from which to deduce the latitude.
+
+This done, his calculations completed, and the brig's position at noon
+pricked off on the chart, he once more hied him to Purchas's cabin, only
+to find the door locked from within.  For the moment he felt very
+strongly inclined to burst his way into the cabin, and haul the man up
+on deck, drunk or sober; but upon further reflection he realised that by
+the adoption of such a course he would be irretrievably "giving the man
+away" to his crew--which it was eminently undesirable to do--so,
+muttering to himself, "Let the brute drink himself out; he will perhaps
+be better afterwards!" he entered the main cabin and seated himself at
+the table, upon which the noonday meal was already spread.
+
+Miss Trevor and he were of course the only persons present, with the
+exception of the steward, who was waiting upon them; and presently the
+girl, noticing the absence of Purchas, inquired whether he was ill.
+
+"He is not very well, I am sorry to say," answered Leslie, briefly; and
+then he turned the conversation into another channel.
+
+But later on, when the steward had left the cabin, he said to Miss
+Trevor--
+
+"You were just now inquiring about Purchas; and I told you that he was
+not very well.  That reply, I must now explain to you, was not strictly
+accurate, but I gave it because the steward was present, and I did not
+wish to state the actual facts in his presence; for, had I done so, it
+is certain that he would have carried the news forward to the men, which
+would have been eminently undesirable.  The truth, however, is that
+Purchas has lately given way to drink, and is at this moment locked in
+his cabin, helplessly intoxicated.  It is a thousand pities; for the man
+has now an excellent opportunity of confirming himself in the command of
+this brig, and so establishing himself in the position of ship-master,
+if he will but make use of it.  That, however, is his affair; not ours.
+My reason for telling you this is, that if the present breeze holds we
+shall reach the equator by this time to-morrow, at a point where we may
+hope to fall in with homeward-bound ships; indeed we may meet with them
+at any moment now; I would therefore advise you to pack up your
+belongings forthwith, in order that you may be ready to be transferred
+to the first suitable craft that comes along."
+
+"Thank you very much for telling me this," answered the girl.  "I shall
+be more than glad, for many reasons, to once more find myself
+`homeward-bound,' as I believe you sailors term it.  And although,
+thanks to your never-ceasing kindness and consideration, I have been
+quite comfortable and happy on board this vessel, it will be a relief to
+me to leave her, for the memory of that terrible man, Potter, oppresses
+me.  I should think that you, too, will be very glad to get away from a
+ship that must be fraught, for you, with such unpleasant memories."
+
+"I shall, indeed," assented Leslie.  "But my deliverance, as I suppose
+you know, must come later.  The misfortune by which I became, most
+unwillingly, the primary cause of Potter's death, renders it imperative
+that I should go on to Valparaiso with this brig, there to surrender
+myself to the authorities and answer for my action.  I do not suppose,"
+he continued, in answer to the expression of consternation that suddenly
+leapt into her eyes, "that they will be very hard upon me; Purchas and
+the whole of the crew can of course testify that I acted under extreme
+provocation and in self-defence; so that probably, if I have to stand a
+trial at all, the verdict will be one of `misadventure.'"
+
+"Oh, but this is dreadful!" ejaculated the girl.
+
+She pulled herself up suddenly, and appeared to consider the situation
+for some moments; then she said very quietly--
+
+"So, if I am to go home, it appears that I shall have to go alone?"
+
+"I fear so," answered Leslie.  "But," he continued reassuringly, "you
+must not run away with the idea that I intend to pack you off aboard the
+first ship that happens to come along, suitable or otherwise; I reckon
+upon falling in with several ships within the next thirty-six hours, we
+shall therefore be able to pick and choose; and you may rest assured
+that I will not put you aboard a vessel until I have thoroughly
+satisfied myself that you will be quite comfortable and happy in her.
+And although we have been speaking only of homeward-bound ships, thus
+far, we must not forget that, if we should happen to run into a calm on
+the Line, it is quite on the cards that we may encounter something
+_outward-bound_, either to the Cape, India, or Australia, into which to
+trans-ship you; in which case you will be able to continue your original
+journey with practically no loss of time."
+
+"Yes," answered Miss Trevor, slowly.  "That would be an advantage,
+certainly.  On the whole, Mr Leslie, I think I should greatly prefer an
+outward-bound to a homeward-bound ship, if you please."
+
+"All right," laughed Leslie; "we will see what can be done.  And now I
+must go on deck to keep a lookout for a suitable craft."
+
+He paused at Purchas's cabin, on his way on deck, and tried the door,
+but it was still locked from the inside; so he ascended the companion
+ladder and went out on deck.  It was a most gloriously brilliant and
+sparkling afternoon; the sky an intense blue, save where it was flecked
+here and there with woolly-looking patches of trade cloud sailing
+solemnly up out of the east; the sea, too, was as brilliantly blue as
+the sky, but of a deeper tint; there was not very much swell on,
+although the breeze was blowing fresh from the eastward; and the brig,
+with her weather-braces well checked, was staggering along under every
+rag of canvas that would draw.  Leslie glanced keenly ahead and then all
+round the crystalline clear horizon in search of a sail; but there was
+nothing in sight save a school of porpoises that were gambolling
+alongside, racing the brig and chasing each other athwart her fore-foot,
+each fish apparently rivalling all the rest in an endeavour to see which
+could shave the brig's stem most closely without being touched by it.
+
+Thinking that the sight might amuse Miss Trevor, he ran quickly down the
+companion ladder and entered the main cabin, with the object of inviting
+her to come on deck and witness it.  He entered the cabin just in time
+to catch sight of her effecting a distinctly hasty retreat into her own
+private berth; and although it was only, a momentary glimpse that he
+caught of her ere she slammed the door behind her, he could almost have
+sworn that she had her pocket-handkerchief to her eyes, as though she
+were, or had been, crying.  Vaguely wondering what was the trouble, he
+paused uncertainly for a few seconds; then, in pursuance of his original
+intention, he knocked at her door, and shouted--
+
+"Miss Trevor, there is a school of porpoises at play alongside, if you
+would care to come on deck and watch them.  It is a pretty sight, and, I
+think, would amuse you."
+
+There was no reply for a moment or two.  Then, in a strangely muffled
+tone of voice, the girl answered--
+
+"Thank you, Mr Leslie.  I will be up in a few minutes."
+
+It was fully ten minutes after this that the girl, clad entirely in
+white, made her appearance on deck; and as Leslie stole a covert glance
+at her face, and noted its absolute composure, he told himself that he
+had been mistaken; she had certainly _not_ been crying; and he wondered
+what in the world it was that could have put so ridiculous an idea into
+his head.  She appeared to be frankly and unfeignedly interested in the
+gambols of the porpoises, laughing heartily from time to time; and
+altogether seemed so absolutely happy and free from care that Leslie,
+while he could have kicked himself for being such a fool, felt quite
+reassured.
+
+At sunset, that night, the breeze still held as fresh as ever; but no
+sail had yet been sighted, either meeting or overtaking the brig; a
+circumstance that somewhat disconcerted Leslie, for he was aiming to
+cross the equator in the longitude of 30 degrees West, at which point it
+is quite usual for a number of outward and homeward-bound ships to meet;
+and the _Mermaid_ was now so near that point that, with the wind holding
+so fresh and steady as it did, he would not have been in the least
+surprised to fall in with quite a procession of craft proceeding in
+either direction.  It was disappointing, this bareness of the horizon in
+every direction; for he felt that his companion and charge must be
+intensely anxious to exchange into something that would be taking her
+either back to her home, or out to her friends; and he was keenly
+desirous to relieve her anxiety at the earliest possible moment.  And
+yet, at the back of his mind, behind his earnestness of desire, he was
+ashamed to discover that there existed a certain feeling of satisfaction
+that the moment for parting with the girl was still deferred.  He had
+found his connection with her very pleasant--the strong and virile man
+always _does_ find it pleasant to have something or somebody to protect
+and be dependent upon him--she was the only intellectual companion now
+left to him; and with her would go the only individual with whom he
+could exchange an idea worth uttering.  Yes, he admitted to himself, he
+would miss her when she was gone, miss her badly; ay, and more than
+badly.  Well, it couldn't be helped; she must go, of course; and this
+curious feeling of depression that was worrying him at the thought was
+but an additional imperative reason for her departure with the least
+possible delay.  If by any chance her departure were to be delayed much
+longer it might be that by then he would feel that he did not want to
+part with her at all!  He stamped his foot on the deck in impatient
+anger at the novel and unpleasant turn that his thoughts were taking;
+and sprang into the fore-rigging on his way to the royal-yard, to take a
+last look round ere darkness fell.  He soon reached his destination, and
+swept the whole circle of the horizon with an eager intensity of gaze.
+And so clear and transparent was the air that had there been anything in
+the nature of a sail within thirty miles he could have seen it.  The
+horizon, however, was as bare as it had been from the deck; and he
+presently descended from his post of observation with an obstinate
+feeling of relief that made him intensely angry with himself.
+
+Three times, that evening, during the dog-watches, did Leslie try the
+door of Purchas's cabin, in an endeavour to gain access to the man and
+ascertain his condition.  On the first two occasions he failed, the door
+remaining locked against him; but when for the third time he found the
+door still fastened, he lost patience and, setting his shoulder to the
+obstruction, burst it open; having arrived at the conclusion that the
+fellow ought not to be left to himself any longer.
+
+He found the cabin, as he had quite expected, reeking with the fumes of
+rum, and Purchas still insensible in his bunk.  It had been a matter of
+astonishment to him how the man had contrived to keep himself supplied
+with drink; for although Leslie, Miss Trevor, and the steward were
+constantly in and out of the main cabin--from which alone access was to
+be gained to the lazarette, wherein the ship's stores and the spirits
+were stowed--no one had seen him moving about.  Stifling therefore the
+feeling of loathing and nausea that possessed him, he proceeded to
+institute a search of the cabin with the object of ascertaining whether
+the drunkard had secreted a supply therein.  The search resulted in the
+speedy discovery of twelve bottles, seven of them empty, an eighth about
+a quarter full, and four still unbroached.  The whole of these he at
+once got rid of by opening the port in the side of the cabin, and
+launching them through it into the sea.  Then, leaving the port
+wide-open to sweeten the air somewhat, and assist in the revivification
+of the man in the bunk, he retired from the cabin, closing the door
+behind him, and went on deck.
+
+The prolonged incapacity of the new skipper rendered it necessary for
+Leslie to make some arrangement whereby he could secure a proper amount
+of rest; and therefore, the carpenter being a steady and fairly reliable
+man, he arranged with him that the latter should take charge of the
+starboard watch during Purchas's "indisposition."  It was Leslie's eight
+hours in, that night, and consequently he was free to retire to his
+cabin between the end of the second dog-watch and midnight; but the
+weather was now so hot that the comparative coolness of the night air on
+deck proved irresistibly attractive to Miss Trevor, who, "sleeping in"
+all night, was naturally indisposed to go to bed at so early an hour as
+eight o'clock in the evening; and as she evinced a disposition to keep
+the deck for an hour or two, Leslie also remained on deck to bear her
+company.
+
+For some time the two walked the weather side of the brig's flush deck,
+between the stern grating and the mainmast, conversing more or less
+intermittently upon various topics, until at length Leslie's attention
+was attracted to the man at the wheel, who, he noticed, was continually
+glancing over his shoulder with a perturbed air at the water astern,
+instead of keeping his eyes upon the compass card.  It seemed also to
+Leslie that the man was trying to attract his attention, although he was
+too bashful, in Miss Trevor's presence, to speak.
+
+So when the pair next reached the stern grating in the course of their
+promenade, Leslie paused, and said--
+
+"What is the matter, Tom?  You seem to be bestowing quite an unusual
+amount of attention on the wake of the ship; is there anything
+remarkable to be seen there?"
+
+The man straightened himself up with the satisfied air of one who, after
+much striving, has at length achieved success.
+
+"Well, I don't exactly know, sir, as you would call it _remarkable_" he
+answered; "but there's something visible over the starn as perhaps the
+lady might like to see."
+
+"Oh!" answered Leslie.  "Then let us have a look at it."
+
+And offering his hand to Miss Trevor, he assisted her to mount the
+grating and led her to the taffrail, over which they both leaned, gazing
+down into the black profundity beneath them.
+
+The brig was travelling at the rate of about six knots; at which speed
+she was wont to create a considerable amount of disturbance in the
+element through which she ploughed her passage; the water was
+brilliantly phosphorescent, and as a result of this the wake of the brig
+was on this occasion a mass of sea-fire, the foam that she churned up on
+either side of her glowing and sparkling with luminous clouds
+interspersed with thousands of tiny stars that waxed and waned with
+every plunge of the vessel.  The water was almost as transparent as air
+itself, and by leaning out over the taffrail it was possible to see the
+rudder, the brig's "heel," and a considerable amount of her "run," all
+aglow with bluish white light that streamed away far astern like a
+miniature Milky Way.  It was a beautiful spectacle, and one at which an
+imaginative person might have gazed for a full hour or more without
+tiring.  But Tom, the helmsman, was not an imaginative man, and the
+spectacle of a ship's wake glowing and scintillating with sea-stars was
+one that he had beheld so often that it had long ceased to appeal to him
+as anything at all uncommon.  It was something else that had attracted
+his attention, and that he had thought might interest "the lady."  For
+there, in the very thickest of the swirling mass of clouds and discs and
+circles and stars of sea-fire, at a depth of perhaps six feet below the
+surface, was to be seen, brilliantly illuminated by its own movement
+through the water, the glowing shape of an enormous shark, fully twenty
+feet in length, keeping pace with the brig as steadily as if he were
+being towed by her.  The whole bulk of the monster was clearly,
+startlingly, distinct, much more so than would have been the case at
+daytime, for his body showed against the black water like a shape of
+white fire, while with every sweep of his powerful tail he scattered a
+trail of glowing sparks behind him that constituted of itself quite a
+respectable wake.
+
+"Oh, what a dreadful creature!" exclaimed Miss Trevor, shrinking back in
+dismay at the sight.  "It is like a nightmare!  That must surely be a
+shark; is it not?  It is the first shark I have ever seen, Mr Leslie;
+and I am certain that I never wish to see another.  I had no idea that
+sharks were such monstrous creatures; I always thought that they were
+about the same size as the porpoises that we were looking at this
+afternoon."
+
+"Yes," laughed Leslie, "very possibly.  This, however, is rather an
+exceptionally fine fellow, although I have seen even bigger specimens
+than he.  Do not look at him too long," he continued, "or possibly you
+may dream of him, in which case he would be likely to prove a nightmare
+to you indeed."
+
+"He've been followin' of us for the last hour, sir," remarked the
+helmsman.  "And they _do_ say that when a shark hangs on to a ship like
+that, somebody's goin' to die aboard of her."
+
+"Yes," answered Leslie, carelessly, "I have heard that story myself; but
+I don't believe it, for I have been in ships that have been followed for
+days on end by sharks, without anything coming of it--except that we
+have generally managed to catch the sharks themselves at last.  No; this
+fellow is following us because he happens to be hungry, and hopes that
+the cook will heave overboard enough scraps to take the sharp edge off
+his appetite.  But the dew is falling very heavily, Miss Trevor; had not
+you better fetch up a wrap?"
+
+"No, thanks," answered the girl, as she moved away and extended her hand
+for him to help her down off the grating on to the deck; "it is growing
+late, so I will bid you good night and go to my cabin."
+
+"Sorry to hear that Mr Purchas is bad, sir," observed Tom, tentatively,
+when Miss Trevor had vanished down the companion ladder.  "Hope it ain't
+nothin' serious?"
+
+"Oh dear, no," answered Leslie, perceiving with annoyance that the man
+was connecting the presence of the shark under the counter with
+Purchas's invisibility; "merely a rather sharp bilious attack, which is
+now over, I am glad to say.  He will probably be on deck again
+to-morrow."
+
+Then, as the carpenter--who had been keeping out of the way during Miss
+Trevor's presence on deck--came aft, Leslie gave over the charge of the
+brig to him, and turned in.
+
+The remainder of the first watch, and the whole of the middle watch,
+passed without incident save that, when Leslie went on deck at midnight,
+he found that the wind had softened down somewhat--as was indeed to be
+expected, with the brig drawing so near to the equator--the vessel's
+speed having dropped to about four knots.  But the weather held superbly
+fine, and the barometer remained absolutely steady; Leslie therefore
+retired to his bunk at the end of the middle watch with a perfectly easy
+mind, and the fixed determination to have Purchas on deck and under the
+head pump at seven bells, when he himself would be called.
+
+It was still quite dark when he was startled out of a profound sleep by
+a sudden loud outcry on deck, followed by a rushing and scuffling of
+feet overhead accompanied by the flapping of canvas, as though the brig
+had been suddenly luffed into the wind.
+
+Leslie was well acquainted with the vagaries of equatorial weather, and
+therefore, under the apprehension that a squall was threatening, he
+sprang from his berth and dashed up on deck without waiting to exchange
+his pyjamas for other clothing.  As he emerged from the companion he
+came into violent contact with some one who was evidently about to make
+a hasty descent of the ladder; and when the pair had recovered from the
+shock, he discovered that he had collided with the carpenter, who
+betrayed every symptom of the most violent agitation; while the entire
+crew, apparently, shouting to each other excitedly, were grouped upon
+the stern grating.  The brig had been luffed into the wind, and
+everything, including studding-sails, was flat aback.  It was well for
+the craft, and all concerned, that the wind had fallen light, or there
+would have been mischief up aloft, and plenty of wreckage among the
+lighter spars.
+
+"What in the world is the matter, Chips?" demanded Leslie testily, as
+with a single glance he took in the full condition of affairs.
+
+"Oh, Mr Leslie, sir, something awful has just happened!" exclaimed the
+man addressed, stammering with agitation and excitement.  "I were
+standin' as it might be just there," pointing to a spot on the deck
+about midway between the skylight and the mainmast, "fillin' my pipe,
+when out of the corner of my heye I seen somebody step out of the
+companion on deck; and fust of all I thought 'twas you; but, lookin'
+again, I see as it was the skipper--not Cap'n Potter, you'll understand,
+sir, he bein' dead and buried; but Cap'n Purchas.  I were just goin' up
+to him to say how glad I were to see 'im about again, when he steps over
+to the binnacle, takes a peep into the compass-bowl, and then, afore a
+man could say `Jack Robinson,' up he jumps on to the starn gratin', from
+there to the taffrail--an' overboard!  Scotty, there, who was at the
+wheel, owns that he more'n half guessed, from the queer look in the
+skipper's heyes, that somethin' was wrong, and made a grab at 'im as 'e
+passed; but Mr Purchas were miles too quick for 'im, and Scotty on'y
+reached the taffrail in time to see the pore man strike the water.  And
+the next second that devil of a shark that have been followin' of us had
+'im!"
+
+Leslie reeled as though he had been struck a heavy blow.  Here was
+another tragedy; the second that had happened within the short space of
+time that had elapsed since he had joined this unlucky brig.  And even
+as he had blamed himself for being in some sort responsible for the
+first, so now he reproached himself as being in a measure responsible
+for this.  He felt that he had been remiss.  In his anxiety to shield
+the unhappy man from the observation and unfavourable comment of the
+crew, he had carefully concealed from everybody the true cause of
+Purchas's retirement, leaving the man alone to recover from his drunken
+bout instead of telling off somebody to watch him.  Had he done this, he
+reflected in self-reproach, this dreadful thing would not have happened.
+The need for concealment was now past, however; so, rallying his
+faculties, he called all hands to group themselves round him, as he had
+something to say to them.
+
+"My lads," he began, "I believe that you all profoundly regret the awful
+thing that has just happened; for Mr Purchas was a most kind and
+considerate officer to every one of you.  But none of you can regret his
+terrible end so much as I do; for I feel that I am to some extent to
+blame for it.  A certain wise man has said, `Of the dead speak nothing
+but good;' and it is well to carry out this precept, so far as is
+possible.  There are occasions, however, when the truth--the whole
+truth--must be told, even though it reflect discredit upon those who are
+gone; and this is one of them.  I am sorry to be obliged to tell you
+that what really ailed Mr Purchas was--drunkenness!  Very little more
+than a week had elapsed after Captain Potter's death when I discovered
+in Mr Purchas a tendency to take rather too much rum.  I spoke to him
+about it, with the result that he promised to be more moderate in his
+potations.  But he did not keep his promise, and upon one occasion, at
+least, he was so thoroughly intoxicated that he slept through his entire
+watch, stretched out upon a hencoop."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; that's gospel truth.  I remember it perfectly," murmured
+two or three of the men, interrupting.
+
+"Of course," assented Leslie, "you could not have avoided noticing it.
+It was after that occurrence that I remonstrated with him; and for a few
+days thereafter he was better.  Then he began again, finally giving way
+altogether, with the melancholy result that you have all witnessed.  I
+knew how injurious to his interests it would be, and how seriously it
+would weaken discipline if you men should once come to understand that
+your skipper was a drunkard; so I let it be understood among you that
+Mr Purchas was confined to his cabin through a slight illness; while,
+as a matter of fact, he was all the time lying there in a drunken
+stupor.
+
+"_Now_, when it is too late, I feel that I committed an error of
+judgment in attempting to conceal from you all the actual facts.
+Instead of being so keenly anxious to shield him that I could think of
+nothing else, I ought to have anticipated the possibility that upon his
+return to consciousness he might be tempted to do something foolish;
+and, anticipating this, I ought to have told off a man from each watch
+to sit with and keep an eye upon him."
+
+"Ay," observed the carpenter, "it might ha' been a good thing to ha'
+done that, certingly.  But you haven't got nothin' to reproach yourself
+with, sir; you done what you did with a good and kind intention; and you
+wasn't to know that the fust thing he'd do when he come back to his
+senses 'd be to up and jump overboard.  Oh no, sir, you ain't to blame
+in noways for what's happened.  What do _you_ say, bullies?"
+
+"No, no; in course the gen'leman ain't to blame; nobody what's seen how
+the land lay--like we have--and how Mr Leslie have been a-doin' all he
+could to help the skipper, could ever say as he's any way to blame.  Not
+he!" answered one and another of the men, each of them in one way or
+another endorsing the carpenter's verdict.
+
+"Thank you, men," returned Leslie; "it is a great relief to me to feel
+that you think as you do in this matter.  Now, that being disposed of,
+there is a further point to be considered; and it is this.  The shocking
+fate of Mr Purchas leaves us with no navigator on board save myself.  I
+have no great desire to proceed in this brig all the way to Valparaiso;
+but, nevertheless, there are reasons that, to me, seem to make it
+desirable that I should do so.  I may tell you that we are now very near
+the Line; so near, indeed, that we may fall in with other craft, aiming
+to cross it at the same point as ourselves, at any moment.  Now if we
+should fall in with a ship, would you wish me to communicate with her
+and ask her captain to place a navigating officer on board this brig, to
+take her to Valparaiso; or would you prefer that I should take charge--
+with Chips, here, as mate--and navigate you to Valparaiso myself?"
+
+"Speakin' for myself," answered the carpenter, promptly, "I don't want
+nobody better'n what you are, Mr Leslie, in command of this here
+hooker.  We knows you, sir; and we've seen what you can do--we've took
+your measure, sir--if you'll forgive the liberty of my plain speakin'--
+and we're all agreed as you're a prime seaman--one o' the best as _I've_
+ever sailed under--and I'd a precious sight sooner see you in command
+than what I would a stranger.  And, if I ain't mistook, that's the
+feelin' with all hands of us.  Am I right, mates, or ain't I?"
+
+"Right you are, Chips; no stranger for me."
+
+"Mr Leslie's the skipper for us; we don't want nobody else."  Thus, and
+in similar terms, the entire crew expressed their perfect agreement with
+the view enunciated by the carpenter; and there and then the matter was
+settled.
+
+It was with a very considerable amount of trepidation that, next
+morning, Leslie undertook the task of communicating to Miss Trevor the
+news of Purchas's death--taking care to suppress the full horror of the
+tragedy by simply stating that the unfortunate fellow had committed
+suicide by jumping overboard, omitting all mention of the shark.  But
+although the girl was naturally much shocked at the occurrence of a
+second death on board, following so quickly upon that of Potter, this
+was the full extent of her emotion; Purchas was not at all the sort of
+man to appeal to her or to arouse in her any sort of interest or feeling
+beyond that of disgust at his weakness in surrendering himself to the
+seduction of so degrading a vice as that of drink; and she received the
+information quite calmly, much to her companion's relief.
+
+Meanwhile, and quite contrary to expectation, the breeze again freshened
+an hour or so before sunrise, with the result that when Leslie took his
+observation at noon he found that the brig was within a mile of crossing
+the equator.  And, what was a much more remarkable circumstance, the
+horizon was still absolutely bare, not a single sail of any description
+being in sight, even from the main royal-yard!
+
+Upon ascertaining this last disconcerting fact, Leslie turned to Miss
+Trevor, who was on deck, and said--
+
+"Fate appears to have a grudge against you, and to be determined that
+you shall not yet leave us.  I had confidently reckoned upon falling in
+with something hereabout to which I could transfer you; but the
+continuance of this breeze--which most sailors would regard as a stroke
+of marvellous good fortune--has enabled everything bound south to slip
+across the Line without suffering the exasperating experience of a more
+or less prolonged period of calm; while, as your ill-luck will have it,
+there happens to be nothing northward-bound on the spot just when we are
+most anxious to meet it.  Furthermore, every mile that we now sail will
+lessen your chance of effecting a trans-shipment, because our course
+will be ever diverging from that of northward-bound shipping.  Of
+course, now that I am in command, I can continue to steer for a day or
+two longer in such a direction as may enable us, with luck, still to
+fall in with a homeward-bounder, but--"
+
+"Is my presence on the ship then, so _very_ embarrassing to you, Mr
+Leslie?" she interrupted with the ghost of a smile.  "It would certainly
+appear so; for the burden of your conversation, ever since we came on
+board, has been my trans-shipment!"
+
+"Embarrassing!" ejaculated Leslie, in extreme surprise.  "Most certainly
+not; on the contrary--" he interrupted himself.  "That is not the point
+at all," he continued.  "I have assumed--very naturally, I think--that
+you are anxious either to return home and make a fresh start, or else to
+continue your outward journey, according as circumstances may determine;
+and I, on my part, have been most anxious to meet what I conceived to be
+your wishes.  But, as to your presence aboard the brig being an
+_embarrassment_ to me, I assure you that the longer you are compelled to
+remain here, the better I shall be pleased."
+
+"Thank you," answered the girl; "I suppose I must accept that admission
+as a compliment.  Well, Mr Leslie, of course you are quite right in
+assuming that, if a favourable opportunity should offer, I would gladly
+avail myself of it.  But my greatest anxiety is to allay that of my
+friends; which, I imagine, they will not begin to experience until some
+little time has elapsed after the date at which the _Golden Fleece_
+might reasonably be expected to reach Melbourne.  And about that time I
+should think we ought to be at Valparaiso, ought we not?  Very well.  In
+that case, it will be easy for me to despatch from there a reassuring
+cable message to my Australian friends, following it up with a letter of
+explanation, and all will be well.  Moreover, though you would perhaps
+never suspect it, I am of a decidedly roving and adventurous
+disposition, and I shall not at all object to visiting Valparaiso; you
+need, therefore, worry yourself no further upon that feature of the
+matter.  But, of course, if you would rather not have me--"
+
+"Pray say no more, I beg you," interrupted Leslie.  "Your continued
+presence on board this brig can only be a source of the keenest pleasure
+and satisfaction to me; and if you can be content to remain, I shall be
+more than content that you do so."
+
+And thus was settled a matter that was destined to exercise a most
+important influence upon the lives of these two people.
+
+Singularly enough, within an hour of the occurrence of the
+above-recorded conversation, a sail was sighted ahead, steering north;
+which upon her nearer approach proved to be a South Sea whaler,
+homeward-bound.  She was steering a course that promised to bring the
+two craft close alongside each other; and at Leslie's suggestion Miss
+Trevor at once went below and hurriedly penned three letters--one to her
+people at home, one to her father in India, and one to her friends in
+Australia--briefly detailing the particulars of the loss of the _Golden
+Fleece_ and what had subsequently befallen the writer, together with her
+intention to proceed to Valparaiso, if necessary; after which she would
+act according to circumstances.  At the same time Leslie wrote to the
+owners of the _Golden Fleece_ apprising them of the loss of the ship,
+and the fact that, as far as his knowledge went, there were but three
+survivors, namely, Miss Trevor, himself, and the seaman whom he had
+taken off the wreckage.
+
+By the time that these letters were ready, the whaler was close at hand,
+upon which the brig's ensign was hoisted, and the signal made that she
+wished to communicate.  Thereupon both craft were brought to the wind,
+and hove-to; the brig's quarter-boat was lowered, and the carpenter,
+with three hands, pulled alongside the whaler, taking the letters with
+him, with the request that the skipper would kindly post them at the
+first port arrived at.  This the man readily agreed to do--such little
+courtesies among seamen being quite usual; and then, with mutual dips of
+their ensigns, the two craft proceeded upon their respective ways.
+
+The _Mermaid_ was singularly fortunate in the weather experienced by her
+on this occasion of crossing the Line, as it often happens that ships in
+these latitudes are detained--sometimes for weeks--by persistent calms,
+during the prevalence of which, by constantly box-hauling the yards and
+taking the utmost advantage of every little draught of air that comes
+along, they may succeed in gaining a mile or two in the course of every
+twenty-four hours; whereas she carried a breeze with her that ran her,
+without a pause, from the north-east trades, across the calm belt, right
+into the south-east trade winds, which happened just then to be blowing
+fresh.  She therefore made excellent progress to the southward after
+parting from the friendly whaler.
+
+It was about a week later that the brig, thrashing along to the
+southward, close-hauled, and with her fore topgallantsail and main royal
+stowed, experienced a thrillingly narrow escape from destruction.
+
+It was just two bells in the first watch, that is to say nine o'clock
+p.m.  The night was fine, with bright starlight, and no moon, that
+luminary happening then to rise late.  The wind was piping up strong and
+sending the trade clouds scurrying across the spangled sky at a great
+pace; and there was a fair amount of sea running, into which the
+_Mermaid_ dug her bluff bows viciously, smothering her forecastle with
+spray and darkening the weather clew of her fore-course with it halfway
+up to the yard.  Miss Trevor was on deck, taking the air, and graciously
+favouring Leslie with her company for an hour or two prior to turning in
+for the night.  The pair were promenading the deck together, fore and
+aft, between the stern grating and the mainmast, the girl availing
+herself of the support of Leslie's arm to steady her upon the dancing
+deck.
+
+Suddenly, as they were in the act of wheeling round abreast the main
+rigging, a flash of ruddy light illumined the tumbling surface of the
+sea, the deck they trod, the sails, and every detail of the brig's
+equipment; and glancing skyward, they beheld a meteor trailing a long
+tail of scintillating sparks behind it, high aloft over the brig's port
+quarter.  With inconceivable rapidity the glowing object increased in
+size, its light meanwhile changing as rapidly from red to a dazzling
+white, until the light became almost as intense as that of the noonday
+sun.  It was a magnificent spectacle, but one also full of unspeakable
+horror for those aboard the brig who stood gazing in speechless
+fascination at it; for it was evident that it was not only falling
+through the air at a speed far surpassing that of a cannon shot, _but
+was also coming straight for the brig_.  A deep humming sound that, as
+it seemed, in the space of a single moment increased to an almost
+deafening scream, marked the speed of its flight through the air; and as
+Leslie grasped the fact that in another second that enormous glowing
+mass--weighing, as he conceived, some hundreds of tons--must infallibly
+strike the brig and smash her to atoms, he instinctively interposed his
+own body between his companion and the gigantic hurtling missile--as
+though such frail protection could have been of any service to her!
+Then, while it was still some two hundred yards from the brig--at which
+distance the heat of it fell upon their white upturned faces like the
+breath of a suddenly opened furnace--the dazzling white-hot mass burst
+with a deafening explosion into a thousand pieces, some of which flew
+hurtling over and about the brig, but happily without touching her; and
+the danger was over.  It had come and was gone again in the brief space
+of some seven seconds.
+
+"That is the narrowest shave I have ever had in my life," ejaculated
+Leslie, catching his breath.  "And you, Miss Trevor, have had an
+experience such as falls to the lot of few people, I imagine--the
+experience of being threatened with destruction by a falling meteor, and
+surviving to tell the tale!  I wonder how many others, beside this
+little ship's company, have ever beheld so appalling and magnificent a
+sight as we have this night witnessed?"
+
+"Have you any suspicion, Mr Leslie, that this brig is especially marked
+out and chosen as the theatre for exceptionally thrilling experiences?"
+quaintly demanded the girl.  "Because if there is a probability that
+such is the case, I really think I shall be obliged to reconsider my
+decision to proceed to Valparaiso in her, and ask you to land me at the
+nearest port.  The tragic deaths of those two men, Potter and Purchas,
+were quite thrilling enough to upset the nerves of any ordinary girl;
+but when it comes to being bombarded by meteors, I would really very
+much rather be excused."
+
+"Of course you would," assented Leslie, laughingly.  "All the same," he
+continued, "although I must confess that I have never heard of such a
+thing happening, it might as probably have occurred in the heart of
+London itself as out here at sea.  That meteors actually fall to the
+earth we know, for there are numerous records of such happenings; they
+have been seen to fall, and have immediately afterwards been found
+partially buried in the ground and still hot from the friction of their
+flight through the air.  Precisely where they will fall and strike is
+necessarily a matter of the merest chance; you are, therefore, so far as
+falling meteors are concerned, quite as safe here as anywhere else."
+
+"Thank you," answered Miss Trevor, gravely, "it is reassuring to learn
+that, no matter where I am, I am liable to have a huge incandescent mass
+of meteoric stone hurtling at me out of space at any moment--for that is
+what your statement really amounts to, you know--isn't it?  And now I
+will bid you good night and retire to my cabin, with the fixed
+resolution not to dream of falling meteors."
+
+And therewith she gave him her hand for a moment, and then vanished down
+the companion-way.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX.
+
+THE MERMAID'S CREW WITNESS A CATASTROPHE.
+
+The _Mermaid_ carried the south-east trade winds until she was well
+south of the parallel of Rio de Janeiro; and then she ran into the
+Doldrums; these being belts of calm, broken into at intervals by light
+baffling airs from various directions, with occasional violent squalls,
+or terrific thunderstorms, just to vary the monotony.  These belts of
+exasperating weather are to be met with to the north of the north-east
+and the south of the south-east trade winds, interposed between the
+trade winds and those outer regions where a steady breeze of some sort
+may usually be reckoned upon.
+
+And here the unfortunate crew of the brig encountered their full share--
+and a little over, some of them said--of the annoyances that usually
+accompany a passage across these belts; their first experience being a
+calm that lasted five days on end without a break, save for the
+occasional cat's-paw that came stealing from time to time over the
+glassy surface of the ocean, tinging it here and there with transient
+patches of delicate evanescent blue.  And as these cat's-paws were all
+that they could rely upon to help them across the calm belt, it was
+necessary to maintain a constant watch for them, and to trim round the
+yards in such a manner as to make the most of them during their brief
+existence.  This constant "box-hauling" of the yards was no trifling
+matter, accomplished as it had to be under the fierce rays of a blazing
+sun; and as it often happened that after laboriously trimming the yards
+and sheets to woo a wandering zephyr, it either expired before reaching
+the brig, or capriciously turned in another direction, passing her by
+without causing so much as a single flap of her canvas, it is not to be
+wondered at that the grumbling among all hands was both loud and deep.
+
+At length, however, with the dawn of their sixth day of these vexatious
+experiences, there appeared to be a prospect of something more helpful
+than mere cat's-paws coming their way; for although the calm still
+continued, the morning broke with a dark, lowering, and threatening sky
+through which the rays of the sun were unable to pierce.  This last was
+in itself a relief to everybody; for although the heat was still so
+oppressive that the slightest exertion threw one into a profuse
+perspiration, the stinging bite of the sun was no longer to be reckoned
+with.  Furthermore, the eyes of those on board the brig, weary of
+continually gazing upon a bare horizon since the day upon which the
+friendly whaler had vanished from their view, were now gladdened by the
+sight of another craft, a small barque, that had drifted above the
+southern horizon during the night, and now lay some five miles away from
+them.
+
+As the morning wore on towards noon the aspect of the sky steadily,
+though by insensible degrees, assumed a more threatening character, the
+huge masses of cloud that overspread the entire dome of the visible sky
+darkening in tint to such an extent that the scene became enwrapped in a
+murky kind of twilight.  That wind, and plenty of it, was brewing,
+seemed evident from the fact that the clouds, although not drifting
+across the sky, were working visibly, writhing and twisting into the
+most extraordinary and fantastic shapes, as though influenced by some
+powerful impulse within themselves.  One of the most frequent of these
+manifestations was the sudden darting forth of long sharp quivering
+tongues from the bodies of the blackest and most lowering of the clouds.
+With the appearance of the first of these Leslie knew what to expect,
+for he had beheld the same phenomenon more than once before, and quite
+understood what it portended.  So he turned to Miss Trevor, who was on
+deck interestedly watching the subtle changes in the aspect of the sky,
+and said to her--
+
+"Have you ever seen a waterspout, Miss Trevor?  No?  Then the chances
+are that you will see several before you are many hours older.  Have you
+noticed those long, black, quivering tongues that dart out and in from
+the bodies of the darkest clouds?  Well, those are the forerunners of
+waterspouts.  See, there is one now.  Do you mark how it seems to be
+striving to reach down to the surface of the sea?  Ah! it has shrunk
+back again.  But sooner or later, unless I am greatly mistaken, one of
+those tongues will reach down, and down, until it begins to suck up a
+column of water from the ocean; and there you will have a full-grown
+waterspout."
+
+He gazed round the sky intently; then went to the skylight and as
+intently studied the barometer--or "glass" as sailors very commonly call
+the instrument.  The mercury in it had fallen somewhat since he had last
+looked at it, though not sufficiently to cause alarm.  Nevertheless,
+short-handed as the brig was--such small craft are usually sent to sea
+with at least two hands too few in the forecastle--he deemed it best to
+err on the right side, if err he must; so as it was by this time noon he
+ordered eight bells to be struck; and when the watch had come on deck he
+set them to work to clew up, haul down, and stow everything save the two
+topsails and the fore-topmast staysail; after which he ordered them to
+go to dinner.
+
+Dinner in the cabin was served at the same time as in the forecastle on
+board the _Mermaid_; when Leslie and Miss Trevor, therefore, went below,
+the deck was left in charge of one man only, namely the carpenter.
+This, however, did not particularly matter, since the brig was well
+snugged down, while Chips might be trusted to keep a sharp look-out and
+give timely warning of the approach of anything of an alarming nature.
+Nothing, however, occurred; and Leslie and his companion were allowed to
+finish their meal undisturbed.
+
+It was now Leslie's watch below, and in the ordinary course of events he
+would have retired to his cabin for the purpose of securing an hour or
+two of rest.  But, with such a lowering and portentous sky as that
+overhead, he scarcely felt justified in entrusting the carpenter with
+the sole responsibility and care of the brig for so long a time; and he
+accordingly accompanied Miss Trevor on deck again.
+
+They found the aspect of the sky more gloomy than ever; the clouds had
+formed themselves into heavier masses, and donned a deeper tinge of
+black than they had worn during the forenoon, and they were displaying a
+still greater degree of activity.  Tongues of cloud were still darting
+out and back again, but they seemed no nearer to the formation of
+waterspouts than during the morning; and Leslie began to think that,
+perhaps, for once in a way he was going to prove a false prophet.
+Meanwhile, although during the whole of the morning and up to that
+moment, there had not been the faintest breath of wind, the two craft--
+the barque and the brig--had closed on each other to within a distance
+of some three miles, in the mysterious manner characteristic of craft
+becalmed within sight of each other.  The barque, Leslie noticed, had
+followed his own example, and stripped to precisely the same canvas as
+that exposed by the brig.
+
+The conditions were not conducive to animated conversation; and judging
+from Miss Trevor's brief replies to his remarks, that she would prefer
+to be left to her own thoughts for awhile, he presently left her leaning
+over the rail gazing at the barque--which the swing of the brig had now
+brought abeam--and seating himself upon the short bench alongside the
+companion, proceeded to fill a pipe.  He was lighting it with an
+ordinary match, the unshielded flame of which burned as steadily as
+though he had been in a hermetically scaled room, when Miss Trevor
+suddenly cried out--
+
+"Oh, look, Mr Leslie, look!  Surely there is one of your waterspouts at
+last!"
+
+Leslie sprang to her side and looked in the direction toward which she
+pointed, where, at a distance of some eight miles away, he beheld a
+fully formed waterspout moving very slowly and majestically in a
+southerly direction.
+
+"Yes," he agreed, "that is a real, genuine waterspout, and no mistake.
+But it is too far off for you to see it to advantage.  Did you actually
+behold it come into existence?"
+
+"No," she answered; "I was watching the ship yonder, and only caught
+sight of it accidentally, after it had become fully formed.  I should
+really like to witness the genesis of a waterspout."
+
+"Then keep your eye on that cloud," he recommended her, pointing to an
+especially black and heavy one that hung a few degrees from the zenith
+and apparently about half a mile astern of the barque.  "If I am not
+greatly mistaken it is about to develop a very fine specimen in a few
+minutes.  Do you note that black tongue that is slowly stretching down
+from it?  Although it lengthens and shortens you will observe that it
+does not shrink back altogether into the cloud; on the contrary, every
+time that it lengthens it becomes perceptibly longer than it was before;
+and observe how steadily its root--where it joins the cloud--is
+swelling.  Now watch, see how it continually stretches down, further and
+further towards the water.  Ah, and do you see that little mound forming
+in the sea immediately beneath it?  See how the water heaps itself up,
+as though striving to reach up and join the down-stretching tongue of
+cloud.  Ah! there the two unite and you have the perfect waterspout.
+And a very noble example of its kind it is.  They will be having a
+splendid view of it from yonder barque, for, see, it is moving in her
+direction, and is about to pass close to her, rather too close to be
+altogether pleasant, unless my eyes deceive me!"
+
+He sprang to the companion, and seizing the telescope, applied it to his
+eye.
+
+"Why," he exclaimed excitedly, after a moment or two, with his eye still
+glued to the instrument, "what are they about aboard that barque?  Why
+don't they fire at the thing and break it?  It will be upon them in
+another moment, to a dead certainty, unless it changes its course!  No--
+yes--yes, it is going to hit her!  Heavens! look at that!"
+
+And as he stood there gazing he saw that vast column of water sweep
+steadily down upon and over the barque, completely hiding her from view
+for a moment.  Then it suddenly wavered in the middle and broke,
+collapsing with a tremendous splash and commotion of the sea, the sound
+of which came drifting down to the brig with startling distinctness some
+ten or twelve seconds later.  And there, in the very midst of the
+tumbling circle of foaming whiteness left by the vanished waterspout
+there floated the barque, no longer trim and all ataunto as she had
+shown a few seconds before, but a dismasted, mangled wreck, with
+bulwarks gone, boats swept from her davits, all three masts snapped
+short off at the level of the deck and lying alongside with all
+attached, a mere tangled mass of wreckage still fast to the hull by the
+standing and running rigging.
+
+Leslie stamped his foot upon the deck in sympathetic vexation at the
+ruin thus wrought in a moment, and again applied his eye to the
+telescope.  The carpenter, whose watch on deck it now was, stood beside
+him, eagerly impatient to discuss with him the details of the
+catastrophe that they had just witnessed; while the watch, forward,
+leaned over the bows alternately muttering to each other their opinions,
+and glancing round in apprehension lest a waterspout should steal upon
+the brig unawares and treat them as the crew of the barque had been
+treated.
+
+It was this same crew--or rather the entire absence of any sign of
+them--that was now disturbing Leslie.
+
+"I can see nothing of them," he muttered impatiently, searching the
+wreck with the lenses of his telescope.  "Here, Chips, take a squint,
+man," he continued, thrusting the instrument into the eager hands of the
+carpenter.  "His decks are as bare as the back of my hand; there is not
+enough bulwark left standing to make a matchbox out of--nothing but the
+stumps of a few staunchions here and there.  I can see the coamings of
+the hatches rising above the level of the planking; I can see the
+windlass; I can just make out the short stumps of the three masts, and I
+can find where the poop skylight stood; but hang me if I can see
+anything _living_ aboard her!"
+
+The carpenter in turn applied his eye to the telescope, and gazed
+through it long and anxiously.
+
+"No, sir," he agreed at length, "what you says is perfekly true; there
+ain't nobody a-movin' about on that there vessel's decks.  Question is,
+what's become of 'em?  Be they down below?  Or have they been swep'
+overboard?  Stan's to reason that when they found theirselves onable to
+steer clear o' that there spout they'd go below and shut theirselves up
+as best they could, knowin' as nothin' livin' could surwive a waterspout
+tramplin' over 'em, as one may say; but where be them there chaps _now_?
+If they was all right they'd be out on deck by this time--wouldn't
+they?--lookin' roun' to see the extent o' the damage.  Would the bustin'
+o' the thing kill 'em, d'ye think, sir--they bein' shut up below?"
+
+"It is difficult to say," answered Leslie, meditatively.  "It would
+depend almost entirely upon the strength of their defences.  We can see
+for ourselves what it has done to the craft herself; it has made a clean
+sweep of everything on deck, and reduced her to the condition of a sheer
+hulk.  Hang this weather!  I don't like the look of it; it is not to be
+trusted!  If it were only a shade or two less threatening I should feel
+strongly tempted to send away a boat to see just what has happened
+aboard there.  There may be a number of poor fellows somewhere on that
+wreck just dying for want of assistance.  But--"
+
+He paused, and again glanced anxiously round the horizon, noting that
+the aspect of the sky was still as full of menace as ever.
+
+"No," he continued, "I dare not do it; it would be risking too much.
+Ha! look there; here it comes!  Fore and main-topsail halliards let go,
+and man your reef-tackles!" he shouted, as a long line of white foam
+appeared on the western horizon, slowly widening as it advanced.
+
+The men sprang to their stations in an instant, galvanised into sudden
+and intense activity by the urgency that marked the tone of the
+commands, and the next instant there was a rattling and squeaking of
+blocks and parrells as the topsail-yards slid down the well-greased
+topmasts and settled with a thud upon the caps.  Then, as the men began,
+with loud cries, to drag upon the reef-tackles, Leslie shouted--
+
+"Call all hands, carpenter, to close-reef topsails.  Look alive, lads;
+if you are smart you may have time yet to get those reef-points knotted
+before the squall strikes us.  Well there with the reef-tackles.  Belay!
+Now away aloft with you all, and hurry about it.  You, too," he added
+to the man who had been standing by the useless wheel, "I will look
+after her."
+
+And, so saying, he mounted the wheel-grating while the whilome helmsman
+slouched along the deck, and, climbing the rail, began to claw his
+deliberate way up the main rigging.
+
+It took the hands about five minutes to pass the weather and lee
+earings, by which time the squall was close to the brig, its approach
+being heralded by a smart shower of rain that drove Miss Trevor to the
+shelter of the cabin.  Then, while the men were still upon the yards,
+tying the reef-points, the wind came roaring and screaming down upon the
+brig--fortunately from dead astern--and, with a report like that of a
+gun, her topsails filled and, with the foam all boiling and hissing
+around her and her bluff bows buried deep in the brine, the _Mermaid_
+gathered way and was off, heading south-south-west; which was as nearly
+as possible her proper course.
+
+The men aloft, meanwhile, although nearly jerked off the yards by the
+violence and suddenness with which that first puff struck them, stuck
+manfully to their work until they had tied their last reef-point, when
+they leisurely descended to the deck, squared the yards, took a pull
+upon and belayed the halliards, and then went below to change into dry
+clothes and oilskins--an example which Leslie quickly followed as soon
+as he was relieved at the wheel.
+
+The squall lasted for a full half-hour--during which the dismasted
+barque vanished in the thickness astern--and then it settled down into a
+strong gale that swept them along before it to the southward for nearly
+thirty hours, moderating on the following day about sunset.
+
+The following morning dawned brilliantly fine, with a light breeze out
+from the westward that was just sufficient to fan the brig along, under
+everything that would draw, at a bare four knots in the hour over a
+heavy westerly swell.
+
+"Why, what is the meaning of this, Chips?" demanded Leslie, as he
+emerged from the companion-way, at seven bells, clad in bathing-drawers
+only, on his way forward to take his matutinal douche under the head
+pump; "is this swell the forerunner of a new gale, or has it been
+knocked up by something that we have just missed?"
+
+"Well, sir," answered Chips, "I'm inclined to think as your last guess
+is the proper answer.  We struck the beginnin's of this here swell about
+two bells this mornin', and the furder south we goes the heavier the run
+seems to be gettin'--as though we was gettin', as you may say, more into
+the track of a breeze that have passed along just about here.  Besides,
+the glass have gone up a goodish bit durin' the night, and is still
+risin'!"
+
+As the day progressed, appearances seemed to favour the correctness of
+the carpenter's theory, for the weather remained fine, with less wind
+rather than more; while, after a time, the swell appeared to be dropping
+somewhat.  It happened, that after the men had taken their dinner that
+day, it being the carpenter's watch on deck from noon until four o'clock
+p.m., he--acting now in the capacity of boatswain--took it into his head
+to go aloft, with the object of examining the brig's upper spars and
+rigging, to see how they had fared in the late blow.  Taking the
+foremast first, he ascended to the royal-yard, and from thence worked
+his way conscientiously down to the slings and truss of the lower yard.
+While on his way aloft, however, he was observed to pause suddenly in
+the fore-topmast crosstrees and gaze intently ahead, or rather in the
+direction of some two points on the lee bow.  He remained thus for
+nearly five minutes, and then proceeded in the execution of his
+self-appointed duty, taking first the foremast and then the mainmast,
+and subjecting everything to a most scrupulous and thorough overhaul;
+with the result that everything was found satisfactory aloft, except
+that certain chafing gear looked as though it would be all the better
+for renewal.
+
+Meanwhile the watch on deck, who were engaged upon sundry odd jobs which
+they were able to execute on the forecastle, had noted the action of the
+carpenter, and had come to the conclusion that his keen eyes had
+detected some distant object of more or less interest ahead; and they
+accordingly snatched a moment from their tasks, at fairly frequent
+intervals, to cast an inquiring glance over the bows.  And their
+watchfulness was at length rewarded, just as seven bells was striking by
+the sight of something that showed for a moment as it and the brig were
+simultaneously hove up on the top of a swell.  It bore about a point on
+the lee bow; was some two miles distant; and, so far as could be judged
+from the momentary glimpse they had obtained of it, appeared to be a
+floating mass of wreckage.  Its appearance was to them ample
+justification for a general knocking-off of work to watch for its next
+appearance, one of the more energetic of them even exerting himself to
+the extent of ascending the fore-rigging high enough to get a view over
+the fore-yard.  From this elevation an uninterrupted view of the object
+was to be obtained; and after long and careful scrutiny the man made it
+out to be the dismasted hull of a ship that was either water-logged, or
+upon the point of foundering.
+
+"Deck ahoy!" he hailed, in approved fashion; "d'ye see that dismasted
+craft out there on the lee bow?"
+
+"Ay, Jim," growled the carpenter, "I've seen her this hour an' more.  Ye
+may come down an' get on wi' your work, my lad; you'll get a good enough
+view of her from the deck afore long."
+
+At eight bells the carpenter went below and called Leslie, who had been
+lying down in his cabin, and at the same time reported the sighting of
+the wreck, which was by this time clearly visible from the deck, except
+when hidden from time to time by an intervening mound of swell.  Knowing
+exactly where to look, Leslie caught sight of her immediately over the
+lee cathead, the instant that he stepped out on deck.  She was by this
+time about half a mile distant, and clearly distinguishable as a craft
+of some six hundred tons register.  She was submerged almost to her
+covering-board, and the whole of her bulwarks being gone between her
+topgallant forecastle and long full poop, the sea was making a clean
+breach right over her main deck, leaving little to be seen above water
+but a short length of her bows and about three times as much of her
+stern.  Seen through the powerful lenses of the brig's telescope, Leslie
+made out that she had once been a full-rigged ship, and from the little
+that showed above water he judged her to be American-built.  Her three
+masts were gone by the board, also her jib-booms, which were snapped
+close off by the bowsprit end.  There was no sign of any floating
+wreckage alongside her, from which Leslie was led to surmise that her
+masts must have been cut away; a circumstance that, in its turn, pointed
+to the conclusion that she had been hove over on her beam-ends--probably
+by a sudden squall--and had refused to right again.  But what had become
+of the crew?  A glance at the craft's davits answered that question.
+There were no boats to be seen, while the davit-tackles were overhauled
+and the blocks in the water.  This clearly pointed to the fact that the
+boats had been lowered; the presumption therefore was that the crew had
+abandoned the craft, fearing that she was about to founder.
+Nevertheless, the weather being fine, and the condition of the sea such
+that the craft could be boarded without much danger or difficulty,
+Leslie determined to give her an overhaul; and accordingly the brig,
+having by this time arrived almost directly to windward of the seeming
+derelict, he gave orders to back the main-yard, and instructed the
+carpenter to take the lee quarter-boat, with three hands, and go on
+board.
+
+"Well, Miss Trevor," said Leslie, as the two stood together near the
+binnacle, watching the boat rising and falling like a cork over the long
+hummocks of swell as she swept rapidly down toward the wreck, "what
+think you of that for a sight?  Is it not a very perfect picture of ruin
+and desolation?  A few days ago--it can scarcely be more--that craft
+floated buoyantly and all ataunto, `walking the waters like a thing of
+life,' her decks presenting an animated picture of busy activity, as her
+crew went hither and thither about their several tasks; while yonder
+poop, perchance, was gay with its company of passengers whiling away the
+time with books, games, or flirtations, according to their respective
+inclinations.  And over all towered the three masts, lofty and
+symmetrical, with all their orderly intricacy of standing and running
+rigging, and their wide-spreading spaces of snow-white canvas; the whole
+combining to make up as stately and beautiful a picture as a sailor's
+eye need care to rest upon.  And now look at her!  There she lies, clean
+shorn of every vestige of those spacious `white wings,' that imparted
+life and grace to her every movement; her decks tenantless and
+wave-swept; her hull full of water, and the relentless sea leaping at
+her with merciless persistency, as though eager to drag her down and
+overwhelm her!  Can you conceive a more sorrowful picture?"
+
+"I could, perhaps; although I grant you that it must be difficult to
+imagine any sight more grievous than that to a _sailor's_ eye," answered
+the girl, gazing upon the scene with eyes wide and brilliant with
+interest and excitement.  "How fearlessly that little boat seems to
+dance over those huge waves!  She reminds me of one of those birds--
+Mother Carey's chickens, I think they are called--that one reads about
+as sporting fearlessly and joyously on the tops of the wave-crests
+during the height of the fiercest storms.  Ah, now they have reached
+her," she continued, clasping her hands on her breast unconsciously as
+she watched the wild plunges of the boat compared with the deadly slow
+heave of the water-logged hulk.  "Oh, Mr Leslie, how could you order
+those men to undertake so desperately dangerous a task?  They will never
+do it; they cannot; their boat will be dashed to pieces against that
+great, ponderous wreck!"
+
+"Never fear," responded Leslie, cheerfully; "Chips knows what he is
+about.  See, there; how keenly he watched for his chance, and how neatly
+he took it when it came.  He saw that rope's-end hanging over the stern
+long before he came to it, you may depend; and now inboard he goes, and
+there he stands on the poop without so much as a touch of the boat
+against the wreck.  And there goes the boat round into the sheltered lee
+of the hull, where she will lie quite comfortably.  And thither we will
+go, too, in readiness to pick them up when they shove off again."
+
+The brig bore up and, wearing round, came-to again quite close under the
+lee of the wreck; so close, indeed, that it was quite easy to see with
+the unassisted eye everything that was going on aboard her, as well as
+to obtain a more comprehensive and detailed view of the havoc that had
+been wrought on her by the combined effects of wind and sea.
+
+Their attention, however, was for the moment attracted rather to what
+was happening on board, than to the condition of the wreck herself; Miss
+Trevor being an especially interested spectator.  After all, it was not
+very much: simply this, that under the lee of a hencoop on the poop,
+that had somehow resisted the onslaughts of the sea, Chips had
+discovered a very fine Newfoundland dog crouching--or perhaps lying
+exhausted; and he was now endeavouring to induce the animal to leave his
+shelter with the view of coaxing him into the boat.  But for some reason
+or other the brute refused to move, responding to the carpenter's
+blandishments only by a feeble intermittent beating of his tail upon the
+deck.
+
+"Oh," exclaimed Miss Trevor, when she grasped the state of affairs, "I
+_hope_ he will be able to rescue the poor creature!  He is a beautiful
+animal; and I am so fond of dogs."
+
+"What is the matter with him, Chips?  Won't he trust you?" hailed
+Leslie, sending his powerful voice to windward through the palms of his
+hands.
+
+The carpenter stood up and faced about.  "Seems to be pretty nigh
+starved, so far as I can make out, sir," he replied.  "The poor beggar's
+just nothin' but skin and bone, and too weak to stand, by the looks of
+'im."
+
+"Then take him up in your arms and drop him overboard," suggested
+Leslie.  "And you, there, in the boat, stand by to pick him up.  He'll
+have sense enough to swim to you."
+
+So said, so done; Miss Trevor watching the apparently somewhat heartless
+operation with tightly clasped hands.  Leslie's conjecture as to the
+creature's sagacity was fully justified; for upon finding himself in the
+water the dog at once began to paddle feebly toward the boat, and in
+less time than it takes to tell of it a couple of men had seized him and
+dragged him into the boat, in the bottom of which he lay shivering and
+panting, and rolling his great trustful eyes from one to the other of
+his rescuers.
+
+After this there was little more that the carpenter could do on board.
+It was impossible for him to pass along the main deck from the poop to
+the forecastle, for the sea was sweeping that part of the derelict so
+continuously and in such volume that, had he attempted any such thing,
+he must inevitably have been washed overboard.  Nor could he, for the
+same reason, enter the poop cabin from the main deck; but he peered down
+into it through the opening in the deck that had once formed the
+skylight; and presently he swung himself down into it and disappeared
+from view.  Meanwhile the brig, being buoyant, was settling rapidly to
+leeward, and soon drifted out of hailing distance.  In about ten minutes
+from the time of his disappearance the carpenter was seen to climb up
+out of the cabin on to the deck and beckon to the men in the boat, who
+at once paddled cautiously up alongside; when, watching the roll of the
+hull and the heave of the boat alongside, Chips seized a favourable
+opportunity and lightly sprang into the smaller craft.  The men in her
+at once shoved off and, pulling her bows round, gave way for the brig,
+the carpenter carefully watching the run of the sea as he sat in the
+stern-sheets and steered.
+
+"Here they come!" exclaimed Leslie, watching them.  "Lay aft here, men--
+all hands of you--and stand by to sway away as soon as they have hooked
+on.  See that those tackles are well overhauled--give them plenty of
+scope to come and go upon!"
+
+Coming down before wind and sea, the boat took but a few minutes to
+traverse the distance between the derelict and the brig; and presently,
+slipping close past under the stern of the latter, she rounded-to in the
+"smooth" of the brig's lee, and shot up alongside.  As she did so, the
+man who pulled "bow," and Chips, respectively made a lightning-like dash
+for the bow and stern tackles, which they simultaneously got hold of and
+hooked into the ring-bolts, flinging up their arms as a signal to those
+on board to haul taut.  Meanwhile the remaining two hands in the boat
+laid in their oars and, rising to their feet, cleverly sprang into the
+main chains as the brig gave a heavy lee-roll.
+
+"Haul taut fore and aft, my hearties," shouted Leslie, balancing himself
+on the lee rail and grasping a backstay, as he anxiously watched the
+dancing boat.  "Out you come, Chips, and you also, Tom.  Capital!  Now,
+hoist away fore and aft; up with her smartly, lads, while this lee-roll
+is on!  Good! very neatly done!  Catch a turn, now, for a moment; and
+you, Chips, jump into her again, and pass out the dog.  Take care that
+you don't drop him overboard!  Well done!  Now hoist away again, men.
+Well, there; two blocks; Belay!  Haul taut and make fast your gripes.
+Good dog, then; poor old fellow!  Why you are just skin and bone, as
+Chips said.  Never mind, old chap, your troubles are over now, and we
+will soon set you on your pins again.  Here, steward, bring along some
+water for this dog--not too much to start with; and give him a little
+food.  Now, carpenter, what were you able to make out aboard there?
+Fill your main-topsail, lads, and bring her to her course."
+
+Meanwhile, Miss Trevor was on her knees beside the dog--a magnificent
+black Newfoundland--patting his head, and speaking loving words to him;
+to which attentions the poor beast responded by whining pitifully as he
+licked her hands and slapped the deck feebly with his tail.  When the
+steward brought the food and water she took them from him and herself
+gave them to the dog, allowing him first to drink a little, and then to
+take a mouthful or two of food; then another drink, and then more food,
+and so on, until he had taken as much as she thought good for him for a
+first meal.
+
+"Well, sir," responded the carpenter, as he turned to walk aft with
+Leslie, "there wasn't much to learn aboard that there hooker beyond what
+you could see for yourselves from the deck of this brig.  I 'low she was
+hove down upon her beam-ends in a squall, some time durin' the night,
+most likely; and then they had to cut away her masts to right her again.
+Anyhow, her masts was cut away, that's sartin', because the lanyards of
+the riggin' showed the clean cuts of the tomahawks clear enough.  And I
+reckon that, when she was hove over, she started butt, or somethin' o'
+that sort, because she was full o' water, and it was only her cargo--
+whatever it may ha' been--that kept her afloat.  She'd been a fine ship
+in her time, her cabin bein' fitted up most beautiful wi' lookin'
+glasses and white-and-gold panels, velvet cushions to the lockers, and a
+big table o' solid mahogany, to say nothin' of a most handsome sideboard
+wi' silver-plated fittin' up agin' the fore bulkhead.  Then, on each
+side of the main cabin, there was a row of fine sleepin' berths--six on
+side--and four others abaft the after bulkhead, all of 'em fitted up
+good enough for a hemperor.  But there weren't nobody in 'em, in course;
+they and the main cabin bein' up to a man's waist in water, all loppin'
+about wi' the roll o' the ship, and fine cushions and what not floatin'
+about fore and aft and athwartships.  I couldn't find no papers nor
+nothin' worth bringin' away wi' me--unless it were the aneroid,
+tell-tale, and clock what was fixed to the coamin's where the skylight
+had been, and I couldn't unship none o' them without tools; but the
+tell-tale and the clock bore the name o' _Flying Eagle_--Philadelpy;
+that I take to be the name an' port o' registry o' the craft."
+
+"No doubt," agreed Leslie.  "And how long do you think the craft had
+been as you found her?"
+
+"Well, not so very long, sir, I should say," answered Chips.
+"Everything looked fairly fresh aboard of her; the paintwork weren't
+noways perished-like wi' the wash of the water, and the polish on the
+mahogany was pretty nigh as good as a man could wish; but the cushions
+was certingly a good bit sodden.  I should say, sir, as he'd been
+desarted a matter o'--well, perhaps three or four days."
+
+"Ah," commented Leslie, speaking to himself rather than to the
+carpenter, "then it could not have been the same squall that struck us.
+No, certainly not, the distance is altogether too great for that.  It
+means, however, that there has been bad weather in these regions of
+late; so we will keep our weather eyes lifting lest we should be caught
+unawares by a recurrence of it.  Thank you, carpenter; you have done
+very well.  And now, if you will keep a look-out for a few minutes, I
+will go below and enter a full account of the matter in the log-book
+while the particulars are fresh in my memory."
+
+Miss Trevor had all this time been looking after the dog, petting him
+and making much of him, until the animal, revived and strengthened by
+the food and drink that he had taken, had struggled to his feet and was
+now staggering after her along the deck, as she slowly and carefully
+induced him to take a little exercise.  Then, after the lapse of about
+an hour, she fed him again, somewhat more liberally than at first; until
+by dint of care and assiduity on her part the poor beast was once more
+able to walk without much difficulty.
+
+The sun went down in a clear sky that night, and although the breeze
+held, the swell rapidly subsided, thus clearly indicating that it was
+not the forerunner of an approaching gale, but the last remaining
+evidence of one already past--in all probability the same gale the
+initial outfly of which had worked the destruction of the _Flying
+Eagle_.
+
+The life of a sailor is usually one of almost wearisome monotony,
+despite what landsmen have to say as to its excitements.  True, the
+individual who is fortunate enough to possess an eye for colour and
+effect, and the leisure to note the ever-varying forms and tints of sea
+and sky--especially if he also happens to be endowed with the skill to
+transfer them to paper or canvas--need never pass an uninteresting
+moment at sea.  Such fortunately circumstanced people are, however, few
+and far between, and it is more especially to the ordinary mariner that
+reference is now made.  To him there are, broadly speaking, only two
+experiences, those of fine weather and of storm.  Fine weather means to
+him usually little more than the comfort of dry clothes, his full watch
+below, and perhaps not quite such hard work; while bad weather means
+sodden garments, little and broken rest, and--unless the ship be snugged
+down and hove-to--incessant strenuous work.  To him the constantly
+changing aspects of the sky appeal in one way only, namely, as forecasts
+of impending weather.
+
+And the incidents of sea-life, apart from the changes of weather, and
+the sighting of occasional ships, are few.  Derelicts are not fallen in
+with every day; nor is the overwhelming of a ship by a waterspout a
+frequent occurrence.  Yet extraordinary events--some of them marvellous
+almost beyond credence--unquestionably do occur from time to time, and
+nowhere more frequently than at sea.  And it is quite within the bounds
+of possibility for one craft to circumnavigate the globe without
+encountering a single incident worth recording, while another, upon a
+voyage of less than half that length, will fall in with so many and such
+extraordinary adventures that there will not be space enough in her
+log-book to record the half of them.
+
+This, it would almost appear, was to be the experience of the _Mermaid_;
+for upon the afternoon of the day following that of their meeting with
+the _Flying Eagle_, her crew were privileged to witness a sight that a
+man may follow the sea for years without beholding.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN.
+
+DISMASTED!
+
+It was about one bell in the first dog-watch; the weather was fine, the
+water smooth, the breeze light; and the brig, with little more than bare
+steerage-way upon her, was laying her course, with squared yards, both
+clews of her mainsail hauled up, and studding-sails set on both sides,
+her topsails occasionally collapsing and flapping to the masts for lack
+of wind to keep them "asleep."  Miss Trevor was, as usual, on deck,
+seated in a deck-chair, with a book on her lap and the fingers of one
+hand playing abstractedly with an ear of the great dog that lay
+stretched contentedly upon the deck beside her.  Leslie, also with a
+book in his hands, was seated right aft upon the taffrail, with his feet
+upon the stern grating, in such a position that he could look past the
+helmsman right forward and command the entire starboard side of the
+deck, as far forward as the windlass-bitts--and, incidentally, study the
+varying expressions that flitted athwart Miss Trevor's face as she read.
+The carpenter, with the rest of the men, was on the forecastle, looking
+after them and busying himself upon some small job that needed
+attention.  The stillness of the peaceful afternoon seemed to have
+fallen upon the vessel; the men conversed together intermittently in
+subdued tones, that barely reached aft in the form of a low mumble; and
+the only sounds heard were the occasional soft rustle and flap of the
+canvas aloft, with an accompanying patter of reef-points, the jar of the
+rudder upon its pintles, the jerk of the wheel chains, and the soft,
+scarcely audible seething of the water alongside.
+
+Upon this reposeful quietude there suddenly broke the sound of a gentle
+"wash" of water close alongside, then a long-drawn, sigh-like
+respiration, and a jet of mingled vapour and water shot above the port
+bulwark to a height of some ten or twelve feet, so close to the brig
+that the next instant a small shower of spray came splashing down on the
+deck in the wake of the main rigging.
+
+So totally unexpected was the occurrence that it startled everybody.
+Leslie sprang to his feet and looked with mild surprise down into the
+water; Miss Trevor dropped her book as she shot out of her chair; the
+dog, who had manifested a readiness to respond to the name of Sailor,
+leaped up and rushed to the bulwarks, where he reared himself upon his
+hind legs, emitting a succession of deep, alert barks; and the crew
+forward shambled over to the port bulwarks, staring curiously.
+
+"Come up here, Miss Trevor," said Leslie, extending his hand to help the
+girl up on to the grating beside him.  "Here is a sight that you may
+never have an opportunity to behold again--at least, under such perfect
+conditions as these."
+
+The girl, closely attended by Sailor, sprang lightly upon the grating,
+and following with her eyes Leslie's pointing finger, gazed down into
+the blue, transparent depths, where she beheld the enormous black bulk
+of a large sperm whale, lying right up alongside the brig--so close to
+her, indeed, that his starboard fin was right under her bilge, about a
+third of his length--from his blow-holes aft toward his tail--showing
+shiny as polished ebony, some six inches above water, while his
+ponderous tail stretched away some forty feet or more beyond the
+taffrail, where it could be clearly seen gently rising and falling to
+enable him to keep pace with the brig.
+
+"What a veritable monster!" exclaimed Miss Trevor, gazing down with
+wide-open eyes of mingled astonishment and dismay at the huge creature,
+as she clung unconsciously to Leslie's supporting arm.  "Is it
+dangerous?  I hope not, because it looks big enough and strong enough to
+destroy this ship at a single blow if it chose to do so!"
+
+"You need not be in the least alarmed," answered Leslie, reassuringly.
+"He will not hurt us if we do not interfere with him.  These creatures
+are only dangerous if attacked; then, indeed, they have been known to
+turn upon their assailants, with dire results.  But ah! look there!--
+there is another one!"
+
+And sure enough, up came another of the monsters, breaking water with a
+rush that showed nearly half his length, at a distance of only some
+fifty yards from the brig.
+
+"And there is another!" cried Miss Trevor, with unmistakable
+trepidation, as a third came to the surface and blew close under the
+brig's counter.
+
+"Pity as we ain't a whaler, sir," remarked the helmsman.  "If we was,
+here 'd be a chance to get fast to two of 'em at once, without so much
+as havin' to lower a boat!"
+
+"Yes," responded Leslie, good-naturedly.  "Such chances do not, however,
+seem to come to whalers.  Why, there blows another!" as a fourth whale
+broke water about a hundred yards on the brig's starboard beam.  "We
+seem to have fallen in with a whole school of them!"
+
+And so indeed it proved, for within ten minutes there were no less than
+seventeen of the monsters in view at the same moment within a radius of
+a quarter of a mile of the brig, which craft appeared to possess a
+fascination for them; for they not only swam round and round her, but
+approached her so closely and so persistently that Miss Trevor became
+seriously alarmed; while even Leslie began to grow somewhat uneasy lest
+the brutes, whose temper he knew to be rather uncertain, should develop
+an inclination to attack the craft.  To the relief, however, of all
+hands, the curiosity of the creatures at length appeared to be
+satisfied, and they drew off from the brig a little, still remaining
+upon the surface, however.  And presently the huge brutes began to
+develop a playful disposition, that commenced with their chasing each
+other hither and thither, first of all in a leisurely manner, then, as
+their excitement grew, their rapidity of movement increased until they
+were rushing through the water--and round the brig--with the speed of a
+fleet of steamers.  And finally they took to "breaching," that is,
+throwing themselves completely out of the water, to a height of from ten
+to twenty feet, coming down again with a splash, that soon set the water
+boiling and foaming all round them, and creating a commotion that caused
+the brig to roll and pitch as though she were in a choppy sea.  This
+exhibition of strength and activity lasted for a full three-quarters of
+an hour, when the creatures disappeared as suddenly as they had come,
+much, it must be confessed, to the relief of all hands aboard the brig.
+
+From this time nothing of moment occurred until the _Mermaid_ arrived
+off Staten Island, the eastern extremity of which she sighted at
+daylight on a cold, bleak morning some ten weeks after the date when
+Leslie and Miss Trevor had become members of her ship's company.  The
+weather had, in the interim, been fine upon the whole, with occasional
+calms and contrary winds; but, taking everything into consideration,
+Leslie felt that they had done by no means badly.
+
+On this especial morning, however, appearances seemed to point to the
+probability that they were about to experience an unpleasant taste of
+typical Cape Horn weather.  The sky was gloomy and overcast, the entire
+firmament being obscured by a thick pall of cold, leaden-hued cloud
+lying in horizontal layers, and presenting the appearance described by
+sailors as "greasy"--an appearance that usually forebodes plenty of wind
+and, not improbably, rain.  The breeze was blowing fresh from the
+westward, having hauled round from the north-west during the night, and
+the brig was pounding through a short, lumpy sea under single-reefed
+topsails.  The air was damp and raw, with a nip in it that sent
+everybody into their thick winter clothing, and called for a fire in the
+cabin stove; and the deck, as far aft as the waist, was streaming with
+water that had come in over the weather rail in the form of spray.
+Everybody on deck, except Miss Trevor, had donned sea boots and
+oilskins, and the only creature who appeared to enjoy the weather was
+Sailor, the dog, who trotted about the deck and through the heavy
+showers of spray with manifest delight.  There was no hope whatever of
+getting a sight of the sun that day; but this was a matter of
+comparatively slight importance, since Leslie had very carefully taken
+the bearings of the land, and had thus been able to verify his
+reckoning.
+
+As the day wore on the wind freshened perceptibly, while with every mile
+that the brig made to the southward the sea grew longer and heavier, and
+the air more bleak and nipping.  At noon, when the watch was called,
+Leslie seized the opportunity to take a second reef in the topsails, and
+to haul up and furl the mainsail; an arrangement that was productive of
+an immediate change for the better, since the brig went along almost as
+fast as before, while she took the seas more easily, and was altogether
+drier and more comfortable.  The barometer, however, was falling
+steadily; a circumstance that, combined with the look of the sky to
+windward, led Leslie to the conclusion that they were booked for a
+regular Cape Horn gale.  All through the afternoon the weather steadily
+became more unpleasant, and about one bell in the first dog-watch, it
+came on to rain--a cold, heavy, persistent downpour--while the wind
+piped up so fiercely that Leslie decided to haul down the third reef in
+his topsails, brail up and stow the trysail, and take in the inner jib
+without further delay, thus snugging the brig down for the night.
+
+The next morning dawned dark, gloomy, and so thick with driving rain
+that it was impossible to see anything beyond half a mile from the brig
+in any direction.  But within that radius the scene was depressing
+enough, a steep, high sea of an opaque greenish-grey tint sweeping down,
+foam-capped and menacing, upon the brig from to windward, while the air
+was thick with spindrift and scudwater.  The foresail had been taken in
+during the middle watch; and the brig was now under close-reefed
+topsails and fore-topmast staysail only, under which canvas she was
+making a bare three knots in the hour, leaving behind her a short wake
+that streamed out broad on her weather quarter.  So unpleasant were the
+conditions that, except for brief intervals during the fore and
+afternoon, Miss Trevor remained below, whiling away the time as best she
+might with a book; disregarding Sailor's importunate invitations to
+accompany him on deck.
+
+Meanwhile the gale was steadily increasing, and between five and six
+bells in the afternoon watch the main-topsail suddenly split with a loud
+report, and immediately blew out of the bolt-ropes; with the result
+that, despite the utmost efforts of the helmsman, the brig at once fell
+off into the trough of the sea.  Hearing the report, and the subsequent
+commotion on deck, Leslie, who had been snatching a little rest in his
+cabin, dashed up on deck and, taking in the position of affairs at a
+glance, gave orders for the fore topsail to be at once clewed up, and
+the spanker to be set; which being done, brought the brig once more to
+the wind, and extricated her from her dangerous situation.  Then he
+ordered a new main-topsail to be at once brought on deck and bent;
+having no fancy for leaving the brig all night under such low and
+ineffective canvas as the spanker--a sail that, with the heavy sea then
+running, was half the time becalmed.
+
+By the time that the remains of the burst main-topsail had been unbent,
+and the new sail brought on deck, it was eight bells, and all hands were
+set to work to bend the sail.  This, under the existing weather
+conditions--with the wind blowing at almost hurricane strength, and the
+brig flung like a cork from trough to crest of the mountainous,
+furious-running sea, with wild weather rolls as the seas swept away from
+under her, succeeded by sickening rolls to leeward that at times laid
+her almost on her beam-ends as she climbed the lee slope of the next
+on-coming sea--was a long, difficult, and perilous job for the hands
+aloft; and Leslie heaved a sigh of relief when at length, having bent
+and close-reefed the sail, the little party laid in off the yard, and
+descended to the deck to assist in sheeting it home.  This delicate job
+was happily accomplished without mishap; and, the trysail being brailed
+in and stowed, the brig was then hove-to under close-reefed main-topsail
+and fore-topmast staysail.
+
+All through the night and the whole of the succeeding day the gale
+continued to rage furiously, and although the _Mermaid_ proved herself
+to be an unexpectedly good sea-boat in such exceptionally heavy weather,
+riding easily the mountainous sea that was now running, she rolled with
+such terrific violence that it was impossible to move anywhere on board
+her, whether on deck or below, without incurring the risk of serious
+injury.  As for Miss Trevor, acting on Leslie's advice, she kept to her
+own cabin, and passed the disagreeable time in the comparative safety of
+her bunk, which she left only at meal times.
+
+The morning of the fourth day brought with it a change.  The gale broke
+about the time of sunrise, and soon afterwards the sky cleared, the
+canopy of cloud broke up, and drifted away to the eastward in tattered
+fragments, revealing a sky of hard pallid blue, in which the sun hung
+low like a ball of white fire.  The sea went down somewhat, and no
+longer broke so menacingly, while it changed its colour from dirty green
+to steel-grey.  Far away on the southern horizon a gleam of dazzling
+white betrayed the presence of a small iceberg, and the air was
+piercingly cold.
+
+Gladly welcoming the change, Leslie--who had spent the whole of the
+preceding night on deck--ordered the close-reefed fore topsail to be
+set, as well as the foresail and main trysail; under which considerable
+increase of canvas the brig was soon once more moving with comparative
+rapidity through the water, and looking well up into the wind.  Then,
+watching for a "smooth," they wore the craft round, and brought her to
+on the port tack, during the progress of which evolution the wind
+shifted a couple of points to the southward, enabling them to lay a
+course of north-west by west, which Leslie hoped would suffice him to
+draw out clear of everything, and carry him into the Pacific Ocean.
+
+This hope was strengthened as the day wore on, for the wind continued to
+draw gradually still further round from the southward, while it steadily
+decreased in force--though growing colder every hour--thus enabling
+Leslie to shake out first one reef in his topsails, then a second, and
+finally the last, also to set his jib and main-topmast staysail; so that
+by sunset the brig, under whole topsails and main-topgallantsail, was
+booming along famously, with an excellent prospect of finding herself
+fairly in the Pacific in the course of the next twenty-four hours.
+
+A disconcerting circumstance, however, that rather tended to damp
+Leslie's hopes, was the fact that the barometer persistently refused to
+rise, although the wind was subsiding so rapidly that it threatened to
+dwindle to a calm, and as the evening faded into night the stars grew
+dim and finally disappeared.  Still, there was nothing that could be
+called actually alarming in the aspect of the weather; and as Leslie had
+been almost continuously on deck during the entire duration of the
+gale--snatching a brief half-hour of rest from time to time as best he
+could--and it was now his eight hours in, he decided, after deliberating
+the matter until four bells in the first watch had struck, to go below
+and turn in until midnight; leaving instructions with the carpenter to
+instantly call him in the event of anything occurring to necessitate his
+presence on deck.
+
+It seemed to him that he had scarcely laid his head upon his pillow and
+closed his eyes ere he was awakened from a profound sleep by a sudden
+screaming roar of wind; the brig heeled over to port until she appeared
+about to capsize; and as Leslie, dazed for the moment by his sudden
+awakening, sprang from his bunk, a loud crash on deck, immediately
+succeeded by a lesser one, told a tale of disaster.  The brig righted as
+the harassed man sprang up the companion ladder, clad only in his
+pyjamas, and dashed out on deck to find everything in confusion, the
+mainmast gone by the board and hammering viciously at the ship's side,
+while a furious banging forward told that the fore-topmast also had
+gone, and, with everything attached, was hanging to leeward by its
+rigging.  Moreover, a howling gale from the _northward_ was sweeping
+over the brig and deluging her with showers of cutting spray.
+
+"Where is the carpenter?" was Leslie's first cry as he emerged from the
+companion and groped blindly about him in the blackness of the starless
+night.
+
+"Here I be, sir," answered Chips, close at hand.  "Oh, Mr Leslie,
+here's a dreadful business!  And I be to blame for it, sir--"
+
+"Never mind, just now, who is to blame," exclaimed Leslie.  "Call all
+hands, and let them get to work with their tomahawks upon that main
+rigging.  Cut everything away, Chips, and be smart about it, my man, or
+we shall have the mast punching a hole in the ship's side, and there
+will be an end of us all."
+
+And so saying, without waiting for an answer, Leslie made a spring for
+the rack in which the tomahawks were kept, and, seizing the first of the
+small axes that he could lay hands upon, he set an example to the rest
+by hacking away at the lanyards of the main shrouds.  It was a
+heart-breaking business, that blind hewing and chopping at the
+complicated gear that held the wreck of the mainmast fast to the hull;
+but it was accomplished at last, and then, the brig having paid off
+almost dead before the wind, it drifted astern and went clear, with much
+scraping and a final bump under the counter that made the old hooker
+tremble, and must have infallibly destroyed the rudder had it chanced to
+hit it.  Then all hands went to work and attacked the topmast rigging,
+which, being less complicated, was soon cleared away.
+
+The harassed crew now had a moment in which to collect their energies
+for fresh efforts, and take stock, as it were, of the extent of the
+disaster that had befallen them.  And the first matter into which Leslie
+made particular inquiry--after he had gone below and got into his
+clothes--was the state of the crew; it had been impressed upon him--
+although he had hitherto been too busy to mention it--that some men
+seemed to be missing--or rather, he had vaguely felt that there were not
+so many men on deck as there ought to be.
+
+So he now turned to the carpenter, and said--
+
+"Muster all hands, Chips, and let the steward give them a good, generous
+tot of grog; they will be all the better for it after their hard work in
+the wet and cold.  Moreover, I wish to satisfy myself that they are all
+right; it has struck me more than once since I came on deck that some of
+them are missing."
+
+"I pray to God that you're wrong, sir," answered the carpenter; "but,
+now that you comes to speak of it, the same thing have struck me too.
+Here, lay aft, bullies, all of yer, and let's have a look at ye," he
+continued, sending his voice forward to the forecastle, where the men
+were now grouped, awaiting further orders.
+
+They came aft, slouching along the deck after their usual manner, and
+grouped themselves about the binnacle, "Why, where's the rest of ye?"
+demanded the carpenter, glaring angrily from one to the other; "where's
+Bill--and Jim--and Joe?  Jump for'ard, one of ye, and tell 'em to lay
+aft here for a tot o' grog."
+
+"We're all here, Chips--all that's left of us, that is.  Bill, and Jim,
+and Joe are all missin'; ain't to be found nowheres.  Anyhow, they ain't
+in the fo'c's'le; I'm ready to swear to that!" answered one of the
+little crowd that grouped themselves round the binnacle, their eyes
+gleaming in the dim light of the binnacle lamp with that transient
+horror that sailors feel at the sudden loss of a shipmate.
+
+"Not in the fo'c's'le!" ejaculated the carpenter, staring wildly about
+him, "Oh, my God! three men gone, and all of 'em in my watch!" he cried,
+flinging his clenched fists above his head in his agony of
+self-reproach.  "You're sure that they ain't in the fo'c's'le?  Then
+they ain't nowhere else aboard this unlucky hooker; they're overboard--
+that's where they are--went when the squall struck us and very nigh
+throwed us on our beam-ends.  And it's my fault--all my fault; it's _I_
+that have lost them three men.  Ye see, Mr Leslie, it's like this here.
+I'm a man what can't do without his proper 'lowance of sleep, and this
+here last gale have fair knocked me up and made me that stupid that I
+haven't knowed what I've been doin' latterly.  And the fact is, that in
+this here last watch of mine I was fair overcome wi' want of sleep, and
+I dropped off without knowin' it, and without wantin' to; and this
+here's the consekence,"--flinging his right hand wildly out to indicate
+the crippled state of the brig--"this an' the loss o' three good men."
+
+"Well, Chips, it is a pity," said Leslie, soothingly and
+sympathetically; "if you had but told me how completely you were knocked
+up, I would have taken your watch for you, although I am pretty well
+knocked up myself.  The mischief, however, is done and cannot now be
+helped, so it is useless to worry any more about it.  We must not,
+however, allow the ship to run further to leeward than we can help; so
+clew up the foresail, lads; we will let her scud under bare poles until
+daylight.  Then we will see what can be done to mend matters.  Now take
+your grog, men; and when you have clewed up and furled the foresail, go
+below.  You, too, Chips.  I have had a little rest, and can doubtless
+hold out until the morning.  I will look after the brig until then."
+
+As the men shambled away forward, leaving Leslie at the wheel, the
+latter dimly caught sight of something huddled up in the companion-way,
+at the top of the ladder; and while he stood staring at it in an
+endeavour to make out what it was, it moved; and the next moment Miss
+Trevor, enveloped in a dressing-gown, stepped out on deck, and, with
+teeth chattering with cold, exclaimed--
+
+"Oh, Mr Leslie, what dreadful thing has happened?  I was awakened by
+the terrible noise and confusion--the crashing and thumping, the
+thrashing of the sails, the howling of the wind, and the shouting of the
+sailors--and I feared that the ship was sinking--for it seemed just as
+bad as on the night when the _Golden Fleece_ was run into; so I wrapped
+myself in this dressing-gown, and have been to and fro between the top
+of the stairs and my own cabin for quite an hour, I should think.  But I
+would not come out on deck, for I saw at once that you were all
+extremely busy; and I knew that, if I did, I should only interrupt you,
+and be in your way."
+
+"You would, indeed," answered Leslie, bluntly.  "And even now," he
+continued, "the deck is no place for you on this wild and bitter night;
+you will get wet through and `catch your death of cold,' as they say
+ashore.  Therefore I beg that you will forthwith go below and turn in;
+there is no further danger at present; the brig is scudding quite
+comfortably, as you may see; and there is nothing that we can run up
+against between this and the morning; you may therefore finish your
+sleep in comfort and with an easy mind."
+
+"But please tell me exactly what has happened," the girl persisted; "I
+shall be better able to rest if you will let me know the worst."
+
+"Well, if you insist on knowing, the brig was caught aback by a sudden
+shift of wind, and we have lost our mainmast and fore-topmast," answered
+Leslie, saying nothing about their further loss of three men, as he did
+not wish to harrow her mind with such a distressing detail until it
+became impossible any longer to conceal it, Miss Trevor was not,
+however, to be so easily put off.
+
+"But I heard the carpenter crying out that he had lost three men," she
+said.  "What did he mean by that?"
+
+"Precisely what he said," answered Leslie, reluctantly.  "The poor chap
+was overcome with the fatigue of the last three days, and fell asleep in
+his watch on deck.  The result is the loss of our spars, and--worse
+still--of three men, who, there can be no doubt, somehow got washed or
+knocked overboard when the squall struck and dismasted us."
+
+"Oh, how dreadful!" exclaimed the girl in tones of horror.  "This is
+indeed an unfortunate ship!  We have met with nothing but tragedy since
+we came on board.  I wish now--oh, I wish most fervently!--that we had
+met some other ship into which we could both have changed; we should
+then have escaped all these horrors."
+
+"Possibly," agreed Leslie.  "Yet `_quien sabe_?' as the Spaniards say,
+who can tell?  We might have trans-shipped into some craft quite as, if
+not even more, unfortunate than ourselves.  In any case, it is too late
+now; and even were it not so, you appear to have forgotten that we could
+not _both_ have trans-shipped; _I_ at least am bound to go on to
+Valparaiso in this brig.  This, however, is not the moment to discuss
+these matters; you are shivering and your teeth chattering with cold; I
+must therefore _insist_ that you go below and turn in at once.  And as
+you pass through the cabin, mix yourself a good stiff glass of grog; it
+will do you good.  I prescribe it."
+
+"Very, well doctor, I will obey you," answered the girl.  And forthwith
+she disappeared down the companion, without saying "Good night!"
+somewhat to Leslie's chagrin.
+
+The apparent discourtesy was, however, soon explained; for a minute or
+two later she reappeared, bearing in her hand a tumbler of generously
+stiff grog, which she handed to Leslie, saying--
+
+"_I_ `prescribe this.'  Please drink it at once; for I am certain that
+you need it far more than I do.  Oh yes, I will take some myself, since
+you so strenuously insist upon it.  There, now you will feel better," as
+she received the empty tumbler from him.  "And now, good night.  I wish
+I were a man, for then I could stay here and help you."
+
+"God forbid!" ejaculated Leslie, fervently.  "Not even to secure the
+benefit of your help would I have you other than as you are.  A thousand
+thanks for the grog; and now good night; let me not see you again until
+the morning!"
+
+The disaster to the brig had happened shortly before midnight; and for
+the rest of that wild and bitter night, until seven bells in the morning
+watch, Leslie stood there alone at the wheel, keeping the brig stern-on
+to the fast-rising sea.  Then the carpenter and the remainder of the
+crew appeared on deck, and one of them came aft to his relief.  The cook
+lighted the galley fire; the steward presently brought him aft a cup of
+smoking hot cocoa; and then, when he had stripped to the skin, been
+pumped on copiously under the head pump, rubbed down vigorously with a
+rough towel, and invested in a complete change of dry garments, he felt
+a new man, ready for another arduous day's work, if need be.  He,
+however, insisted that all hands should take a thorough good breakfast
+before starting the day's work; and the wisdom of this revealed itself
+immediately that the work began.
+
+Meanwhile it is necessary to say that during those long weary hours of
+Leslie's lonely vigil at the wheel, the wind, that at the first outfly
+had come away from about due north, had gradually veered round until, by
+sunrise, it was a point south of east, in which quarter it seemed
+disposed to stick.  Furthermore, with the coming of dawn it had evinced
+a disposition to moderate its violence somewhat, while the sky had
+cleared for a few brief minutes in the eastern quarter, revealing a
+glimpse of the sun; and upon examining the barometer, Leslie had noticed
+that the mercury in the tube showed a convex surface--a sign that it was
+about to rise; he therefore suffered himself to indulge the hope that
+with improving weather, they would ere nightfall be enabled, by good
+steady hard work, to get the brig into such shape as to once more have
+her under command.
+
+Seen now, in broad daylight, the poor little brig presented a truly
+pitiful sight as compared with her appearance on the previous evening.
+She was then all ataunto, with every spar, rope, and sail intact; a
+thing of life, obedient to her helm, responsive to the will of her
+commander, and as fit as such a craft could be to cope with any and
+every possible caprice of wind or weather.  _Now_, she was a poor maimed
+and disfigured thing; her mainmast gone, leaving nothing of itself but a
+splintered stump standing some ten feet above the deck; her fore-topmast
+also gone--snapped short off at the cap; and, of her normal spread of
+canvas, nothing now remained save her fore-course.  And her loss was not
+confined to that of her spars only, although that of course was serious
+enough.  But, in addition to this, she had lost a complete suit of
+canvas, and practically all her running and standing rigging--the latter
+item being one that it would be quite impossible to replace until her
+arrival at a port.  Fortunately for all concerned, her owners had been
+prudent enough to provide her with two complete suits of sails; and she
+also carried a fairly liberal equipment of spare spars; it would
+therefore be no very difficult job to extemporise a "jury rig" for her;
+but the trouble would be to find the wherewithal to replace the lost
+standing and running rigging, blocks, and all the other items that would
+be needed to make that jury rig effective.
+
+Needs must, however, when there is no alternative; and the British
+sailor is, with all his faults, an ingenious fellow, not altogether
+devoid of the inventive faculty, and possessed of a pretty turn for
+adaptation; give him but the idea and he will generally find the means
+to carry it out.
+
+So while Leslie and Chips went the round of the deck immediately after
+breakfast, inspecting their stock of spare spars, and the navy man
+prepared a rough sketch illustrating his idea of the manner in which
+those spars could be most effectively made use of, the rest of the crew
+turned-to with a will to overhaul the boatswain's locker, the sail
+locker, and the fore-peak, routing out therefrom and bringing up on deck
+every article and thing that could conceivably be of use in the task
+that lay before them.  Then, when Leslie had completed his arrangements
+with the carpenter, the latter brought his tools on deck; the spare
+spars were cast loose and placed conveniently at hand for working upon;
+and in a very short time everybody but Leslie, Miss Trevor, the cook,
+and the steward, was busily engaged on the forecastle, measuring,
+cutting, splicing and fitting rigging, while the carpenter trimmed the
+spars and otherwise prepared them to go into their destined positions.
+
+As for the others, the cook and steward had their usual duties to attend
+to, and could not therefore be spared to lend a hand in re-rigging the
+brig, even had they possessed the necessary knowledge--which they did
+not; although later on, perhaps, when it came to mere pulling and
+hauling, their strength would be found useful, and would be
+unhesitatingly called for.  Meanwhile the brig, although under her
+fore-course only, and running before the wind, needed to be steered; and
+this job Leslie undertook to personally attend to throughout the day,
+thus sparing another man for the pressing work on the forecastle.
+
+Luckily for everybody concerned, the half-hearted promise of finer
+weather that the morning had given was more than fulfilled; for about
+four bells the sky cleared, the sun shone brilliantly, and the air
+became pleasantly mild, while although the wind still blew strongly from
+the east, the sea grew more regular, so that the dismantled brig now
+scudded quite comfortably, not shipping a drop of water, and forging
+ahead, at the rate of about three knots per hour, on her proper course.
+
+Miss Trevor had not made her appearance at the cabin table when Leslie
+had been summoned below to breakfast by the steward, nor had she
+responded when the former had gently knocked at her cabin door.  This
+circumstance, however, had not aroused any very serious alarm in the
+breast of the ex-Lieutenant, who, remembering the incident of the night
+before, when the young lady had come on deck after the accident to the
+brig, thought it quite probable that, in consequence of her rest being
+so rudely broken, she was now oversleeping herself.  And in the
+confidence of this belief he had ordered the steward not to attempt to
+disturb her, but to prepare breakfast for her immediately upon her
+appearance.  And he furthermore instructed the man to notify him if she
+failed to put in an appearance before four bells.  As it happened, the
+young lady appeared on deck, fresh and rosy as a summer morning, and
+with Sailor in close attendance, a few minutes before that hour.
+
+"What!" she exclaimed, lifting her hands in dismay as she saw Leslie
+standing at the wheel, precisely as she had left him on the previous
+night, "still at that dreadful wheel!  Do you mean to say that you have
+been standing there all this time?"
+
+"By no means, madam," answered Leslie, cheerfully.  "I have since then
+had a most refreshing bath, changed my clothes, taken breakfast, and
+done quite a useful amount of very necessary work.  It is scarcely
+needful to inquire after _your_ health, your appearance speaks for
+itself; yet for form's sake let me say that I hope you are none the
+worse for your very imprudent behaviour last night."
+
+"Oh no," she answered, with a laugh and a blush that vastly became her--
+so Leslie thought; "I am perfectly well, thank you.  I took the grog
+that you prescribed, and then went dutifully to my cabin, in obedience
+to orders, where I at once fell asleep, and so remained until an hour
+ago.  Then I rose, dressed, and had my breakfast; and here I am, ready
+and anxious to do anything I can to help."
+
+"Help!" echoed Leslie, with a laugh.  "You talked of helping last
+night--and most kind it was of you to have and express the wish--but in
+what possible way could a delicately nurtured girl like you help?  And
+yet," he continued more soberly, "you _could_ render me a little help,
+once or twice a day, if you would.  It is not much that I would ask of
+you--merely to note the chronometer times for me when I take my
+observations of the sun for the longitude.  I have sometimes thought
+that Chips has been a little erratic in his noting of the time; and I
+have more than once had it in my mind to ask you to undertake this small
+service for me."
+
+"Why, of course I will," assented the girl, eagerly.  "Why did you not
+ask me before?  And there is another thing that I can do for you, now--
+this moment--if you will only let me.  I can steer the ship for you
+while you go downstairs and obtain a few hours' much-needed rest.  Your
+eyes are heavy and red for want of sleep; you look to be half dead with
+fatigue!  And if you should break down, what would become of the rest of
+us?  Please let me try at once, will you?  I am quite sure that I could
+manage it; it looks perfectly easy."
+
+Leslie laughed.  "Yes," he assented; "I have no doubt it does; because,
+you see, I happen to know just how to do it.  But _you_ would find it
+very hard work, and would soon be terribly tired.  No; you could not
+possibly steer the craft in this heavy sea, especially as we are running
+before the wind--which constitutes the most difficult condition for
+steering.  But, if you wish to learn to steer, I shall be delighted to
+teach you as soon as we again get fine weather and smooth water."
+
+And with this promise the girl had to be content, although she persisted
+in believing it to be quite easy to turn the wheel a few spokes either
+way, and so keep the brig sailing on a perfectly straight course.
+Meanwhile, the crew got to work and rigged a pair of sheers over the
+stump of the mainmast, firmly staying it with guys leading aft to the
+taffrail and forward to the windlass-bitts.  Then they rigged at the
+apex of the sheers the strongest threefold tackle that they could
+extemporise; and with the assistance of this they swayed aloft a spare
+main-topmast, that had been carefully prepared by the carpenter for
+fishing to the stump of the mainmast.  This spar was accurately adjusted
+in the precise position that it was intended it should occupy, and its
+heel was then firmly secured to the stump of the mainmast by means of
+strips of stout planking about eight feet long, closely arranged all
+round and secured in position by a long length of chain wound tightly
+round, and further tightened by driving in as many wedges as possible.
+Then the spar was further secured by shrouds, stays, and backstays; thus
+providing a very respectable substitute for a mainmast.  The sheers were
+then struck; a spare main-yard, fitted with brace-blocks and all other
+necessary gear, was next swayed aloft and firmly secured to the head of
+the extemporised mainmast; a spare main-course was bent and set; and by
+sunset that same evening Leslie had the satisfaction of seeing the brig
+once more in condition to be brought to the wind when occasion should
+arise.  What the crew had accomplished that day constituted a most
+excellent day's work, especially taking into consideration the fact that
+they were almost worn-out with fatigue, Leslie therefore resolved to
+call upon them for nothing further in the shape of work that day; but he
+foresaw that it would be a great help to the craft to have a fore
+staysail that could be set when sailing on a wind; and a main trysail
+might also prove useful; he determined therefore that the next day
+should see these two sails in place, if possible.  He would then have
+accomplished the very utmost that lay in his power, and sufficient, he
+hoped and believed, to enable him to take the brig to Valparaiso.
+
+His observations, taken at noon and at three o'clock that day, showed
+him that the _Mermaid_ was far enough to the southward and westward to
+justify a shift of the helm; and accordingly at four bells in the first
+dog-watch he altered the course to north-west by West, which he hoped
+would enable him to just clear Desolation Island and carry him fairly
+into the Pacific.  It also afforded him an opportunity to test the
+efficiency of his jury rig; and his satisfaction was great at finding
+that with the yards braced forward the brig, under main and fore-courses
+only, behaved in a thoroughly satisfactory manner; although what she
+would do when hauled close on a wind still remained to be proved.
+
+Happily for him the weather had by this time again become quite fine;
+the wind had softened down to merely a fresh breeze, and the sea had
+gone down considerably.  He was therefore enabled to secure a few hours'
+sleep--a refreshment that he now absolutely needed, for he was by this
+time so completely worn-out and exhausted that he felt he could do no
+more.
+
+The next day was nearly as busy an one as that which had preceded it,
+for it saw the completion of Leslie's plans, and left the brig under
+fore and main-courses and fore staysail; with main trysail bent and
+ready for setting when occasion should require.  This achievement
+brought the ex-lieutenant to the end of his resources; but, on the other
+hand, he felt that the brig was now once more in reasonable trim for
+facing any contingency except a recurrence of really bad weather; and
+this last he hoped he would have done with when once the brig had fairly
+entered the Pacific.  Luckily, the weather was now as fine as he could
+wish; the sky clear enough to enable him to get all his observations;
+not very much sea running; and a spanking fair wind driving the brig
+along upon her course at a speed of nearly five knots.  Moreover, the
+fine weather would enable his crew and himself to get a sufficient
+amount of rest to thoroughly recuperate their exhausted energies, and
+prepare themselves for future contingencies.  On the following morning,
+just as he had completed his forenoon observations for the longitude,
+land was sighted broad on the starboard bow, that proved to be the
+south-eastern extremity of Desolation Island; and at six bells in the
+afternoon watch the brig had arrived in the longitude of 75 degrees
+West, and was therefore at last ploughing the waters of the vast Pacific
+Ocean, to Leslie's profound satisfaction.  He now shifted his course
+another point to the northward; and began to calculate the probable date
+of their arrival in Valparaiso.
+
+It was his intention to maintain a north-west course for the ensuing
+twenty-four hours, in order to obtain a good offing, and then to haul up
+to the northward; but, to his disgust, when he turned out on the
+following morning he found that the wind had shifted and was blowing
+strong from about north-east, and that, with her yards braced right
+forward, and main trysail set, the brig would look no higher than
+north-west.  It was, however, comforting to reflect that although the
+hooker was taking a wider offing than was at all necessary, she was
+edging up to the northward, in which direction lay their port of
+destination.  And sooner or later they would be certain to get a
+westerly slant of wind that would help them.  So, being in fact unable
+to do better, Leslie kept his starboard tacks abroad, and went driving
+along to the north-westward.  And with every mile of progress that they
+now made there came an improvement in the weather; the air growing ever
+softer and more balmy, the water more smooth, and the skies clearer and
+more deeply and exquisitely blue.
+
+Thus the brig drove steadily and pleasantly enough along, day after day,
+until the wondering voyagers seemed to have arrived in the lotus-eaters'
+region, "where it is always afternoon;" and still the wind hung
+inexorably in the north-east quarter, and the brig's bows obstinately
+refused to point higher than north-west, until Leslie's patience wore
+thin, and he grew moody and morose with long waiting for a shift of
+wind.  For this condition of affairs lasted not only for days, but at
+last mounted to weeks; a circumstance that was practically unique in the
+history of those waters.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT.
+
+THE WRECK OF THE MERMAID.
+
+At length, however, the inevitable change came; the wind died away to a
+breathless calm; the ocean took on the semblance of a sea of gently
+undulating glass; and the hitherto cloudless sky imperceptibly lost its
+intensity of blue as a thin, streaky haze gradually veiled it, through
+which the sun shone feebly, a rayless disc of throbbing white fire.  The
+heat and closeness of the atmosphere were intense, even on deck, while
+the temperature below was practically unendurable.  The brig lost
+steerage-way about two o'clock in the afternoon; and when the sun sank
+beneath the western horizon that night, looming through the haze red as
+blood, distorted in shape, and magnified to thrice his normal
+dimensions, there was little if any perceptible change in the
+atmospheric conditions, although the mercury in the barometer had been
+falling slowly but steadily all day.
+
+The brig was now within the tropic of Capricorn, and not very far to the
+eastward of the Paumotu Archipelago, in which region night succeeds day
+with such astounding rapidity that the stars become visible within ten
+minutes of the sun's disappearance.  Yet no stars appeared on this
+particular night; on the contrary, a darkness that could be felt settled
+down upon the brig almost with the suddenness of a drawn curtain.  The
+darkness was as profound as that of the interior of a coal-mine; it was
+literally impossible to see one's hand held close to one's eyes; and
+movement about the deck was accomplished blindly and gropingly, with
+hands outspread to avoid collision with the most familiar objects, whose
+positions could now be only roughly guessed at.  And the silence was as
+profound as the darkness; for the swell had subsided with almost
+startling rapidity, and the brig was so nearly motionless that there was
+none of the creaking of timbers or spars, none of the "cheeping" of
+blocks and gear that is usually to be heard under such circumstances.
+Even the men forward were silent, as though they were waiting and
+listening for something, they knew not what.  So intense was the silence
+that even the striking of a match to light a pipe became almost
+startling; while its tiny flame burnt steadily and without a semblance
+of wavering in the stagnant air.
+
+Gradually, however, a subtle and portentous change took place.  The
+darkness slowly became less intense, giving place to a lurid ruddy
+twilight that appeared to emanate from the clouds, for by imperceptible
+degrees they grew visible and became streaked and blotched with patches
+of red that suggested the idea of their being on fire within, the
+incandescence showing through here and there in the thinner parts.  This
+red light grew and spread until the whole surface of the sky was aglow
+with it; and it was an uncanny experience to stand on the stern grating,
+close up to the taffrail, and look forward along the brig's deck to her
+bows, and note every detail of the craft and her equipment showing
+distinctly and black as ebony against that weird background of red-hot
+sky and its ruddy reflection in the polished surface of the water.
+
+Leslie scarcely knew what to make of this lowering and portentously
+illuminated sky.  He had never seen anything quite like it before; but
+he instinctively felt that it foreboded mischief; and he accordingly
+kept a sharp eye on the barometer.  It was still falling, and now with
+considerably greater rapidity than at first.  At eight bells in the
+second dog-watch he came to the conclusion that the time for action had
+arrived; and before allowing the watch to go below he ordered everything
+to be clewed up and furled, leaving only the fore staysail standing.
+Then he settled himself down to wait doggedly for developments,
+determined not to leave the deck until a breeze had come from
+_somewhere_.  For he had a suspicion that when it arrived, it would
+prove to be something stronger than ordinary; and he wanted to satisfy
+himself as to the manner in which his jury rig would withstand such an
+outburst as appeared to be impending.
+
+Hour after hour went by, however, and nothing happened; until at length
+Miss Trevor, whose stay on deck had been unusually prolonged by
+curiosity--and perhaps a dash of apprehension--bade Leslie good night
+and retired to her cabin, the port of which he particularly requested
+her to keep closed, despite the stifling heat.  At length the strange
+and alarming glow in the heavens faded as imperceptibly as it had come,
+until the darkness had become as intense as before; and Leslie was
+beginning to think that after all nothing was going to happen, when the
+whole scene became suddenly illuminated by a vivid flash of sheet
+lightning that for an infinitesimal fraction of a second seemed to set
+the entire visible firmament ablaze, and caused every detail of the
+brig's hull and equipment to imprint a clear and perfectly distinct
+picture of itself upon the retina.  They all listened for thunder, but
+none came.  Suddenly, however, a few heavy drops of rain pattered upon
+the deck, and an instant later down came a perfect deluge with the sound
+of millions of small shot roaring and rattling on the deck and hissing
+into the sea.  The rain ceased as suddenly as it had come, as suddenly
+as the flow of water is stopped by the turning of a tap; and for about a
+quarter of an hour nothing further happened.  Then the sheet lightning
+began to quiver and flicker among the clouds once more; and presently
+the pall immediately overhead was rent apart by a terrific flash of
+sun-bright lightning that struck straight down and seemed to hit the
+water only a few yards from the brig.  Simultaneously with the flash
+came a crackling crash of thunder of absolutely appalling intensity; and
+before its echoes had died away another flash, and another, and another,
+tore athwart the heavens; until within the space of less than a minute
+the entire vault of heaven was ablaze with flickering and flashing
+lightnings, steel blue, baleful green, rosy red, and dazzling white,
+accompanied by a continuous crash and roar of thunder that was both
+deafening and terrifying.  This tremendous manifestation continued for
+about ten minutes, when down came the rain again, in an even fiercer
+deluge than before; and in the very midst of it, while the thunder still
+crashed and boomed overhead, and the rain descended in such sheets and
+masses that everybody gasped for breath, as though drowning, away came
+the wind with a howling scream that in an instant drowned even the sound
+of the thunder.  It struck the brig flat aback; and had she happened to
+have had any of her square canvas set she must undoubtedly have
+foundered stern first.  As it was, Leslie, who happened to be the only
+man near the wheel, sprang to it and put the helm hard over, causing her
+to pay off as she gathered stern-way, and thus saving the craft.  But
+even as he stood there, in the very act of putting the helm over, a
+crash reached his ears out of the midst of the terrific hubbub; he was
+conscious of receiving a violent blow on the head; and then he knew no
+more.
+
+When Leslie again recovered consciousness, his first distinct sensation
+was that of racking, sickening, splitting headache, accompanied by a
+feeling of acute soreness and smarting.  He also felt dazed, confused,
+and harassed by a vague but intense anxiety about something, he knew not
+what.  Then he became aware that he was lying recumbent on his back,
+with his head propped high by pillows; and presently he also became
+aware that his head was heavily swathed in bandages.  He stirred
+uneasily, and attempted to put his hand to his head; but was shocked to
+find that his hand and arm felt heavy as lead, so heavy, indeed, that
+after a feeble effort he abandoned the attempt.  As he did so, a
+fluttering sigh, and a whispered "Oh, thank God; thank God!" fell upon
+his ear; a handkerchief saturated with eau-de-cologne was applied to his
+nostrils; and, as in a dream, he heard a voice murmur--
+
+"Are you better, Mr Leslie?  Tell me that you are feeling better."
+
+Feeling better!  Had he been ill, then?  He supposed he must have been;
+otherwise, why was he lying there--wherever he might be--on his back,
+with his head bandaged and racked with pain, and with no strength in
+him?  Ill! of course he was; every nerve in his body bore testimony to
+the fact.  But where was he? what was the matter with him? and whose was
+this gentle, tender voice--that somehow seemed so familiar--that
+questioned him?  Everything was vague, confused, and incomprehensible,
+with a dominating impression that there was pressing, urgent need for
+him to be up and attending to something without an instant's delay.
+
+As he lay there, painfully cogitating in a vain endeavour to disentangle
+the threads of mingled thought that seemed to be inextricably wound
+together in his throbbing, struggling brain, two warm drops splashed
+upon his face, and the same low voice that he had heard before, cried--
+
+"Spare him, O God; spare him; have mercy!" and the handkerchief was
+again applied to his nostrils.
+
+The tide of life ebbed back for a moment; he again sank into oblivion;
+and presently revived to the consciousness that soft arms were
+supporting him--arms that quivered and shook with the violent sobbing
+that fell upon his ears--while a shower of hot tears bathed his face.
+And then, all in an instant, recollection, vivid, intense, complete,
+came to him, and he opened his eyes.
+
+For a moment he could see nothing.  Then he became aware that the sun
+was streaming brilliantly in through the open port-hole near the head of
+his bunk, while a soft, warm, yet refreshing breeze was playing about
+his temples; and that Miss Trevor was bending over him with streaming
+eyes that gazed down upon him wild with anxiety and grief.
+
+"Why, what is this? what is the matter? and why am I lying here idle
+when I ought to be on deck looking after the ship?" he murmured,
+attempting at the same time to rise.
+
+But the imprisoning arms held him firmly down; the streaming eyes met
+his in an intensity of gaze that seemed to devour him; and the tender
+voice gain cried with indescribable fervour--
+
+"Thank God; oh, thank God for this great mercy!  You _are_ alive!  And
+you will continue to live.  Yes, you _must_ live; promise me that you
+will.  Here; drink this, quickly."  And she held to his lips a tumbler
+containing a liquid that, pungent to the taste, at once revived him.
+
+"Thanks; a thousand thanks!" murmured Leslie, gratefully.  "I feel
+better now.  Please let me get up; I must go on deck at once."
+
+"No; no, you must not; indeed you must not; there is no need," answered
+Miss Trevor; and Leslie thought he detected a tone of sadness mingled
+with relief in the accents of her voice.
+
+"No need?" ejaculated Leslie; "but indeed there _is_ need--" and then he
+paused abruptly; for it had suddenly dawned upon him that the brig had a
+distinct list to port, and that she was _motionless_; not with the
+buoyant motionlessness of a ship afloat in a calm, but with the absolute
+absence of all movement characteristic of a ship in dry dock, or
+_stranded_!
+
+"Good heavens! what has happened?" he ejaculated.  "Tell me, please, at
+once!" and he again attempted to rise.
+
+But again his self-constituted nurse restrained him.
+
+"Oh, please, _please_, do not move," she entreated.  "You _must_ obey
+me, now; or you will _never_ get better.  I will tell you everything;
+but indeed you must not attempt to rise; for, as I said just now, there
+is no need.  The ship is quite safe; I am sure that nothing further can
+happen to her, at least not for some time to come; and long ere that
+time arrives you will, please God, be well again, and in a fit state to
+do whatever seems best to you."
+
+"Nevertheless," answered Leslie, "I should like to see the carpenter, if
+you will have the goodness to call him to me.  I perceive that the brig
+is ashore--though _where_, I have not the remotest notion; and he will
+be able to tell me, far more clearly than you can, exactly what has
+happened."
+
+The girl leaned over Leslie, and looked down at him with eyes full of
+trouble.
+
+"Mr Leslie," she said, the tears welling up into her eyes again, "I
+must ask you to prepare yourself to hear bad news--very bad and very
+_sad_ news.  I cannot bring the carpenter to you; I cannot bring him, or
+any other of the crew to you; for, my poor friend, you and I--and
+Sailor--are the only living beings left on board this most unfortunate
+ship!"
+
+"You and I--the only people left aboard?" gasped Leslie.  "Then, in
+Heaven's name, what has become of the real?"
+
+"I cannot tell you--I do not know," answered the girl.  "But if you will
+let me tell my story in my own way, I have no doubt that your knowledge
+of seafaring matters will enable you to judge with sufficient accuracy
+just what has happened.
+
+"You will remember, perhaps, that on the night before last there was a
+terribly violent storm of lightning and thunder--"
+
+"The night _before last_?" interrupted Leslie.  "You mean _last_ night,
+surely?"
+
+"No," answered Miss Trevor; "I mean the night before last.  You have
+lain here unconscious nearly thirty-six hours."
+
+"Thirty-six hours!" ejaculated Leslie, with a groan.  "Well, go on,
+please."
+
+"That storm," continued Miss Trevor, "was so violent and terrifying that
+I found it not only impossible to sleep through it, but even to remain
+in my cabin.  I therefore rose, dressed, and stationed myself in the
+place you call the companion, at the head of the cabin stairs where,
+sheltered by the cover, I could at least watch what was going on.
+Crouched there, I saw everything that happened.  I saw you spring to the
+wheel when the gale struck the ship; I saw you felled to the deck by the
+falling mast; and I was the first to spring to your assistance and drag
+you out from the midst of the tangle of ropes and broken spars.  Then
+the carpenter and one or two other men came running up, and they helped
+me to bring you down here to your own cabin, where I have been attending
+to you ever since, and striving, oh, so earnestly and so hard, to
+restore you to consciousness."
+
+"My poor, brave girl," murmured Leslie, "what courage, what devotion you
+have shown!"
+
+The young lady resumed--
+
+"The carpenter and the others left me immediately that we had got you
+laid comfortably on your bed, and the lamp lighted, explaining that it
+was necessary for them to be on deck to take care of the ship--as I
+could readily understand; for the frightful roar of the wind and the
+violent motion of the ship bore eloquent witness to the fury of the
+storm that was raging outside.  They accordingly retired; and I heard
+them close the doors at the top of the stairs and draw over the cover--
+to keep the water from coming down into the cabin, I suppose; for I
+could hear it falling heavily on the deck with alarming frequency; while
+the hoarse shouts and calling of the men up above were truly terrifying.
+
+"You were quite insensible, and bleeding freely from a wound in your
+head," resumed the young lady; "and my first thought, naturally, was the
+medicine-chest that I had seen under the cabin table.  I made my way to
+this as best I could; and, finding the book of directions, turned to the
+part treating of wounds, where I found full instructions how to proceed.
+
+"Acting upon these, I carefully clipped away the hair from all around
+the gash; bathed the place, washing away the blood as well as I could;
+and then applied a dressing, as directed, securing it in place with
+plaster, and then swathing your head with a bandage to preserve the
+dressing from displacement.
+
+"I had just completed this task, and was sitting on the box under your
+lamp, trying to discover some way of restoring you to consciousness,
+when the ship suddenly struck with awful violence against something, and
+I heard a crash as of a falling mast on deck, accompanied by a terrible
+outcry among the men.  Then the ship was lifted up, to come down again
+with another crash, even worse than the first; then she was thrown
+violently over on her side, and I heard a fearful fall of water on the
+deck, accompanied by more rending and crashing of timber.  This was
+continued for, I should say, quite half an hour, the shocks, however,
+becoming less and less violent until they ceased altogether, and the
+ship seemed to remain stationary, save for a slight rocking movement
+that eventually also ceased; and I have not since then felt the
+slightest movement or tremor of any kind.  The gale, however, continued
+to rage with unabated fury until midday yesterday, when it quickly died
+away, and the sun came out.
+
+"Meanwhile, I continued my efforts to restore you to consciousness, but
+without success.  And finally, when at length the gale had passed away
+and the weather had again become fine, I ventured to go up on deck to
+see what had happened to the ship, and what had become of the men; for,
+to my great surprise and alarm, none of them had come near me, or made
+any attempt to inquire after you, from the moment when they had helped
+to bring you down into the cabin!"
+
+"And what did you find?" demanded Leslie, anxiously.
+
+"I found," answered Miss Trevor, "that the ship is lying stranded on an
+immense reef of rocks, and is within about two miles of _land_--a large
+island, I take it to be, for I can see the sea beyond each end of it.
+But that is not the worst of it.  The ship is a complete wreck, both her
+masts being broken and lying in the water beside her, most of her
+bulwarks broken and gone, and not one of the crew to be found!"
+
+"I must get up; I really _must_!" insisted Leslie.  "_Please_ do not
+attempt to keep me here," he continued, as his companion strove to
+dissuade him from his purpose.  "I _must_ go on deck and take a look
+round, if only for a few minutes, just to satisfy myself as to the
+actualities of our situation.  If I cannot do that, I shall simply lie
+here and worry myself into a fever, thinking and fearing every
+imaginable thing."
+
+"Well," remarked the girl, doubtfully, "if that is to be the result of
+confinement to your cabin, perhaps I had better yield to your wish and
+allow you to go on deck, just for a few minutes.  But you must promise
+to be very good and obedient, to do exactly as I tell you, and--in
+short, to leave yourself entirely in my hands.  Will you?"
+
+"Oh, of course I will," assented Leslie, with an eagerness and alacrity
+that were not altogether convincing to his companion, who saw, however,
+that she would have to yield somewhat to this headstrong patient of hers
+if she wished to retain any control at all over him.
+
+She accordingly assisted him first to sit up in his berth and then to
+climb out of it--he still being dressed in the clothes that he was
+wearing when the accident happened to him--and eventually, with very
+considerable difficulty--Leslie finding himself curiously weak, and so
+giddy that he could not stand without support--she contrived to get him
+up the companion ladder and out on deck, where Sailor accorded them both
+a boisterous and effusive welcome.
+
+Arrived there, Leslie sank upon the short seat that ran fore and aft
+alongside the companion cover, and cast his eyes about him.  It was a
+melancholy sight that met his view.  The brig, with a list of about four
+strakes to port, was hard and fast upon the inner edge of a reef that
+seemed to be about a mile wide, and stretched for many miles in either
+direction, ahead and astern, she lying broadside-on to the run of the
+reef.  The jury mainmast had snapped short off immediately above the
+lashings that bound it to the stump of the original spar, and had gone
+over the stern, some of its gear having evidently struck Leslie down as
+the spar fell.  The foremast was also over the side, having gone close
+to the deck; and all the wreckage was still floating alongside attached
+to the hull by the rigging.  The bulwarks had all disappeared save some
+ten or twelve feet on either side extending from the taffrail, forward,
+and a few feet in the eyes of the ship.  The decks had been swept clean
+of every movable thing, including the longboat and the jolly-boat that
+had been stowed on the main hatch; and both quarter-boats had also
+vanished from the davits, leaving only fragments of their stem and
+stern-posts hanging to the tackle blocks to show what had happened to
+them.
+
+No part of the reef showed above water, but its extent and limits were
+very clearly defined by the ripples and agitation--gentle though this
+last was--of the surface of the water above it.  The surf was breaking
+heavily on its outer margin in clouds of gleaming white that flashed and
+glittered in the brilliant sunshine; and an occasional undulation of
+swell came sweeping in across the reef, causing a thousand swirls and
+eddies to appear as it traversed the vast barrier of submerged rock--
+coral, Leslie judged it to be--but it did not affect the brig in the
+least, sending not even the faintest tremor through her, by which the
+sick man judged that she must have been deposited in her present
+position at a moment when the level of the sea was considerably higher
+than it was just then.  The craft was lying so close to the inner edge
+of the reef that had she been carried another fifty yards she would have
+been swept right over it; in which case she would undoubtedly have at
+once sunk in the deep-water that lay between this outer barrier reef and
+the island some three miles away--not two miles, as Miss Trevor had
+estimated the distance.
+
+But, oh, that island!  When Miss Trevor had spoken of it Leslie pictured
+to himself some tiny, obscure, bare atoll of perhaps a mile in length,
+and not more than a dozen feet high at its highest point--knowing from
+his reckoning that, at the time of the fatal outbreak, the brig had not
+been near enough _any known_ land to render wreck upon it possible.  But
+the land upon which he gazed with wondering eyes measured fully three
+miles from one extremity to the other--with a promise of considerably
+more beyond the points in sight.  And instead of being only a few feet
+in height above the sea-level, it rose in a gentle slope for about half
+a mile from the beach of dazzlingly white sand that fringed its margin
+immediately opposite where the brig lay, and then towered aloft to a
+bare truncated peak that soared some six thousand feet into the
+beautifully clear air.  The whole island, except some two hundred feet
+of its summit, appeared to be densely clad with vegetation, among which
+many noble trees were to be seen, some of them being resplendent with
+brilliant scarlet blossoms.
+
+The fresh air had exercised a distinctly revivifying effect upon Leslie
+who, after some quarter of an hour's rest, felt strong enough to move
+about the deck, with Miss Trevor's assistance and support; and he
+accordingly proceeded forward as far as the galley which, to his
+profound satisfaction, he found to be undamaged and with all its
+paraphernalia intact.  Then he went on to the fore scuttle--the hatch of
+which was on and secured.  Throwing back the cover, he peered down into
+the dark and evil-smelling place, and called several times, without
+eliciting any reply.  He would fain have investigated further, to the
+extent of descending into its interior; but his companion considered
+that he had by this time done quite as much as was good for him, and
+flatly refused to render him the least assistance toward this further
+adventure.  He was perforce compelled therefore to abandon his intention
+and retreat to his own end of the ship.  Here, availing himself of the
+support of the short remaining length of the bulwarks, he leaned over
+and peered down into the clear, transparent water, through which he
+could clearly see the white surface of the reef upon which the brig
+rested; and its colour and the comparative smoothness of its surface
+convinced him that he had been right in his conjecture that it must be
+of coral formation.
+
+"Well, sir," demanded his companion, as she carefully assisted him to
+his former resting-place alongside the companion, "what think you of our
+surroundings, as a whole?"
+
+"To be perfectly candid with you," he replied, "I regard them as
+decidedly promising; although I quite admit that we are in a very
+distinctly awkward predicament.  In the first place, I fear that we
+shall have to reconcile ourselves to the prospect of a somewhat
+lengthened sojourn, for unless I have made some very serious error in my
+calculations--which I do not believe--we are far out of the usual tracks
+of ships, and our only hope, therefore, of being seen and taken off
+rests in the possibility that some wandering whaler may put in here for
+water.  That, however, is a prospect upon which it will be unwise for us
+to reckon overmuch; and we must consequently pin our faith upon our
+ability to devise a means of escape for ourselves.  That, in a few
+words, means that I shall have to set to work forthwith upon the task of
+constructing some craft big enough and seaworthy enough to convey us to
+some spot from which we can take passage home again.  I see that such a
+prospect appears sufficiently alarming to you, and I will not attempt to
+conceal from you the fact that it means--as I just now said--a rather
+lengthy stay here.  But, fortunately for us, the materials for the
+construction of such a craft are all here to our hand; this brig will
+afford us all the timber that we require for such a purpose, with plenty
+to spare; and I am not altogether ignorant of the arts of naval
+architecture and ship-building.  Then we shall probably find that there
+is a sufficient stock of provisions still left on board here to sustain
+us during the period of our detention here, to say nothing of the
+resources of the island itself, which looks as though it might be
+capable of affording us an ample subsistence of itself.  Then there is a
+beach ashore there that looks quite good enough to serve as my shipyard;
+with a nice little plateau adjoining it upon which I purpose to erect a
+tent for our accommodation--for I do not think it would be wise to
+remain aboard here longer than may prove absolutely necessary."
+
+"Why," exclaimed the girl, "you appear to have planned everything out
+already.  How fortunate I am in having you as my companion!  If you had
+not been hurt, I suppose you would have been on deck when this disaster
+occurred, and the chances are that you would then have been drowned with
+the rest of the poor fellows; and I should have been left alone here to
+die miserably."
+
+"Yes," agreed Leslie, dryly, "my accident was certainly a blessing in
+disguise, from that point of view.  If I can succeed in getting you
+safely away from here, and putting you in the way of returning to your
+friends, I shall at least have accomplished something useful before I
+die."
+
+"Oh, Mr Leslie," exclaimed the girl, "you know I did not mean that!  I
+simply meant--well--I mean--oh dear, how am I to express myself so that
+you will understand?  Surely you do not believe me to be such an utterly
+selfish and heartless creature as to be glad that you have escaped the
+fate of the others merely because, by so doing, you are left alive to be
+my helper and protector?"
+
+"No, indeed," answered Leslie, heartily, "I assure you, Miss Trevor--"
+He paused abruptly, thought for a moment, and then resumed: "Look here,
+we have been thrown together--you and I--and our fates intermingled in a
+very extraordinary manner, and we are likely to remain together for some
+time longer in fairly intimate association, each of us the sole
+companion of the other.  Do you not think that, under the circumstances,
+we might as well drop the formality of `Mr' and `Miss?'  My name is
+Richard; but my friends call me Dick, and I should be glad if you would
+do the same."
+
+"Very well," answered his companion, "I will willingly do so, if you
+really wish it; it would be only prudish to object--under the
+circumstances, as you put it.  And you, in your turn, may call me Flora,
+if the name commends itself to your ear.  And now, sir, please go on
+again from where you left off."
+
+"Let me see," mused Leslie, "what was it we were talking about?  Oh yes,
+I remember.  You were explaining to me that you were glad I had escaped
+drowning not so much because of the use I could be to--"
+
+"Ah," interrupted his companion, "I can see that you are rapidly getting
+better, because you are beginning to tease.  But, seriously, Mr Les--
+well, Dick, then--I want you to tell me something more of your plans.
+What do you propose to do first--when you are well enough to work again,
+I mean?"
+
+"The first thing I propose to do," answered Leslie, "is to overhaul the
+carpenter's chest and satisfy myself as to what tools are at my command.
+That done, I shall at once begin to break up the brig, confining
+myself, in the first instance, to the removal from her of just
+sufficient material to admit of the construction of a raft.  The next
+thing will be to convey ashore such canvas, rope, and other matters as
+may be needed for the erection of a comfortable and commodious tent for
+our accommodation ashore; together with all necessary furniture, the
+galley stove, pots and pans, and all the rest of it.  I am rather
+anxious to carry out this much of my plans with as little delay as
+possible; because, you see, the weather is one of those things upon
+which one can never depend--another gale may spring up at any moment,
+and when it does the brig will most probably go to pieces.  I am
+therefore exceedingly anxious to get you comfortably established ashore
+before this happens.  Then, if all goes well, I shall at once proceed to
+pull the poor old _Mermaid_ carefully to pieces, damaging the planking
+as little as may be in the process, because that is the material out of
+which I purpose to build my boat.  I shall do this, transferring it, and
+everything on board that may be likely to be of use to us, to, the shore
+before I do anything else; because, should the brig break up of herself,
+much valuable material is certain to be lost.  Then, when I have got
+everything safe ashore, I shall begin upon the boat."
+
+"I see," remarked Flora, with animation, "that we have a kind of Crusoe
+existence before us--a sort of perpetual picnic.  Very well; I shall
+undertake the house-keeping part of the work; keep the tent clean and
+tidy; prepare nice appetising meals for you when you come home tired
+from your work; keep your clothes in repair; do the washing; and
+generally look after domestic affairs.  Oh, you may smile as much as you
+like.  I dare say you think that I know nothing about such matters; but
+I do; and I flatter myself that I shall astonish you."
+
+"Yes," laughed Leslie, "I expect you will; I am fully prepared to be
+astonished.  No," he continued, as he saw a pout rising to his
+companion's lips, "I did not quite mean that.  True, I have before me a
+vision of a very charming young lady, always somewhat haughty and
+unapproachable, and always most elegantly costumed; who used to be the
+awe and admiration of everybody aboard the _Golden Fleece_; and I have
+been endeavouring--I must confess with not altogether brilliant
+success--to picture her doing the cooking and washing, ashore there.
+But I know--or at least I have been told--that woman's power of
+adaptability surpasses belief, and I have already seen that you possess
+it to a marvellous degree; therefore, despite what I said just now, I
+shall be astonished at nothing you do, or prove yourself able to
+achieve."
+
+"Thank you," answered Flora, with a touch of annoyance in her tone.  "I
+know I was perfectly horrid in those days--oh, how far away they seem,
+now--and I am afraid that I have not done much since then toward giving
+you a better opinion of me; but you shall see!  Oh, Dick, please do not
+think badly of me!  You have done so _very_ much for me, and have been
+so invariably kind and considerate to me, that I cannot bear the idea
+that you should think ill of me.  I owe my life to you.  You must
+remember that I did not know you, then--"
+
+"I know; I know," answered Dick, laying his hand reassuringly upon hers.
+"You acted quite rightly in keeping us all at arm's-length; for, as you
+say, you knew none of us then, and could not be expected to discriminate
+between one and another.  For my own part, I would not have had you act
+otherwise than you did; so let us say no more about it.  And now, if you
+will kindly help me, I think I had better go below and lie down for
+awhile.  I must take care of myself for both our sakes."
+
+So they went below again; and after Flora had dressed Leslie's wound
+afresh, the latter stretched himself out on the cabin lockers and sank
+into a refreshing sleep, while the girl busied herself in the
+preparation of such nourishing dishes, against his awakening, as the
+resources of the wreck afforded.
+
+The following day found Leslie much stronger, and more like himself
+again; so much so, indeed, that, despite his fair companion's
+protestations, he set to work and got the carpenter's tool-chest on
+deck, and busied himself upon the light task of sharpening chisels,
+gouges, planes, adzes, axes, and so on; and generally putting everything
+in good order against the time when he would want to use them.  This,
+with occasional periods of vest, occupied him through the whole of that
+day; at the end of which he declared himself to be none the worse but
+rather the better for his exertions.
+
+The next day Leslie devoted to the task of lifting off the fore hatches
+and rigging a light pair of sheers over the hatchway by means of two
+pieces of the rail that he detached from the short length of bulwarks
+that still remained standing abaft.  It was his purpose to give this
+part of the brig a thorough overhaul prior to attempting anything else;
+hoping that he might find therein something that would enable him to
+construct a raft without having recourse to the timber of the ship.  And
+in this he was successful beyond his utmost hopes; for, among other
+matters, he found two stout packing-cases--measuring twenty feet long by
+three feet wide by two feet deep--containing long strips of gilt
+moulding, such as are used in house decoration.  The moulding he
+carefully stowed away again--prudent man--not knowing whether in the
+future they might not, despite their gaudy appearance, come in useful
+for something.  Then carefully taking the packing-cases apart, he shaped
+the bottom planking of each somewhat after the semblance of the bow and
+run of a ship--that is to say, he pointed the two square ends of each by
+sawing them to the required shape.  Then he put the cases together
+again, curving the sides to fit the curves of the bottom planks; and
+when this was done he found himself in possession of two boat-like
+boxes, or flat-bottomed boats, of very respectable shape and size.
+These he next strengthened by nailing stout timbers, walings, and
+stringers to the bottom and sides, inside; when a careful caulking and
+paying of the seams completed them by rendering them watertight.  So
+pleased was he with these two contrivances of his--the firstfruits of
+his labours--that although he had not originally intended to use them as
+boats, either of them was quite sufficiently large to convey himself and
+his companion across the tranquil waters of the lagoon that stretched
+between the brig and the island; and he accordingly determined that,
+before applying these structures to their ultimate purpose, he would
+make use of one of them in which to effect a preliminary exploration of
+the island.  Accordingly he fitted the interior of one of them with a
+couple of seats--one in the middle for himself, and the other near the
+"stern" for Miss Trevor's accommodation; secured to each side a stout
+cleat in a suitable position, and suitably bored for the reception of a
+pair of rowlocks; and a length of three-inch planking sawn down the
+middle and shaped with a spokeshave into a pair of paddles completed the
+equipment of what turned out to be a very serviceable and handy boat.
+
+The construction of these two "pontoons," as Leslie called them,
+together with the supplementary labour of fitting up one of them to
+serve as a boat, consumed nearly a week; but they were so thoroughly
+satisfactory when finished that their constructor regarded his time as
+well spent.  The last item of his task, the making of the pair of
+paddles, or short oars, was completed as the sun was sinking below the
+horizon on the ninth day after the stranding of the _Mermaid_; and it
+was arranged that, if the weather held fine and the barometer continued
+steady, the next day should be devoted to a visit to the island.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE.
+
+AN ISLAND PARADISE.
+
+The next morning dawned as fine as heart could wish, with a cloudless
+sky of matchless blue, and a "glass" that showed a rising rather than a
+falling tendency.  Immediately after breakfast, therefore, Leslie
+emerged from the brig's cabin provided with a basket of provisions
+neatly packed by the fair Flora's hand and daintily covered with a
+spotlessly white cloth.  This he deposited in the stern-sheets of his
+boat; and then addressed Sailor, who stood at the gangway watching the
+proceedings with eager interest.
+
+"Now, Sailor, come along down, boy; that's a good dog, then.  Come down,
+you sir, I say!"
+
+Sailor wagged his tail excitedly, and barked in response, making a great
+show of being about to jump down into the boat, but baulking at the last
+moment and looking round anxiously to see whether his beloved mistress
+were coming, then approaching the side again and barking a response to
+Leslie's blandishments, but dexterously avoiding the efforts of the
+latter to capture and drag him down into the boat; and so on _ad
+infinitum_ At length, however, Miss Trevor made her appearance, a
+radiant vision in white, and armed against the assaults of the
+too-ardent sun with a white lace parasol--one of the many spoils of the
+late skipper's speculative investment--and approached the head of the
+side-ladder that Leslie had rigged for her accommodation.  Then, as she
+began to descend, Sailor hesitated no longer but, fearing lest he should
+lose his passage, sprang down into the frail craft with an _abandon_
+that nearly capsized her, and placed himself in the eyes of the boat,
+obediently to a signal from Leslie's hand.  Another moment and Flora had
+taken her place in the stern, and Leslie was bearing-off from the brig's
+side.
+
+With her load of three--for Sailor was nearly as heavy as his mistress--
+the boat proved to be somewhat crank, and Leslie had a momentary spasm
+of regret that he had not tied up the dog and left him aboard the brig,
+instead of bringing him with them; but the water was quite smooth, and
+they all sat still.  The passage was consequently accomplished without
+mishap; and in about an hour from the moment of starting they all three
+stood safely on the dazzlingly white beach of coral sand that stretched
+for about a mile in either direction from the spot where they had
+landed.  From here the hull of the brig looked little more than a small
+inconspicuous spot against the snow-white cloud of surf that broke
+eternally upon the outer edge of the barrier reef; and Leslie made a
+mental note to pull off aboard again betimes in the afternoon, for it
+would be practically impossible to hit off her position in the darkness.
+
+The beach on which they stood was of no great width, some sixty or
+seventy feet wide, perhaps, from the water's edge to the spot where it
+abruptly met the luxuriant growth of thick guinea-grass that seemed to
+form the turf of the island.  Immediately opposite the spot where they
+had landed there stretched a clear space of this turf, measuring about a
+quarter of a square mile in area, entirely unencumbered by bush, or
+tree, or shrub of any kind.  Leslie recognised this as the spot that he
+had already fixed upon, while aboard the brig, as the site for his camp;
+and his nearer inspection of it now satisfied him that it was eminently
+suitable for the purpose and indeed could not be improved upon.  Beyond
+the confines of this open space, to right, left, and rear of it, shrubs
+and small bushes grew at first sparsely and, further on, in greater
+profusion, until ultimately this more or less scattered growth merged
+into the dense and apparently impenetrable bush and forest with which
+the entire island appeared to be clothed.
+
+When Leslie's eyes had first fallen upon this island an uneasy suspicion
+had arisen within him that so comparatively large and important an area
+must almost of necessity be inhabited; and he had not been altogether
+free from doubt as to what, in such a case, the disposition of its
+inhabitants might be toward him and his companion.  He had an idea that
+he had somewhere heard or read that the natives of certain of the
+Pacific islands were addicted to cannibalism; and he felt that if by any
+evil chance this particular island should happen to be inhabited by such
+a race, the cup of their misfortunes would be full.  Consequently, the
+work of constructing his pontoons had been frequently broken into by
+long and anxious examinations of the island through the telescope, in a
+search for indications of the presence of inhabitants.
+
+These examinations had entirely failed to reveal any such indications;
+and the hope had gradually arisen in his mind that, after all, the
+island might prove to be uninhabited.  But he was not yet by any means
+satisfied that this hope was well-grounded, and he determined that this
+first visit of his to the place should be mainly devoted to a further
+search and examination.  Before doing anything further, therefore, he
+suggested to Flora that they should walk the entire length of the
+beach--keeping to the grass as far as possible, in order to leave the
+surface of the sand quite undisturbed--so that he might be able to
+carefully and systematically scrutinise it in search of footprints.  For
+he argued that if savages really existed on this island, they could
+scarcely have failed to discover the existence of the wreck during the
+week that she had lain upon the reef; in which case they would most
+probably have gathered at the water's edge, at the nearest possible
+point, for the purpose of examining her.  And since this particular
+strip of beach happened to be nearer the wreck than any other point of
+the island, he felt tolerably certain that footprints would be found
+upon it, if anywhere.  A strong point in favour of the assumption that
+the island was uninhabited was the fact that the wreck had not been
+approached by canoes; for Leslie felt that if she had been seen by
+natives, they would scarcely have left her unvisited for an entire week.
+
+The careful and systematic inspection of the entire length of beach
+consumed an hour, and was without result; no human footprints were
+anywhere to be seen; and Leslie was confident that if any person had
+walked upon that sand within the week, he would have left plain
+indications behind him, for the wind throughout that time had been too
+gentle to obliterate marks of any kind, as was evidenced by the fact
+that the footprints of birds were everywhere clearly distinguishable.
+Once, indeed, he thought he had found what he sought; but upon closer
+inspection the signs proved to be the track of a turtle that had come up
+on the sand to lay her eggs, as was evidenced by the fact that the eggs
+themselves were found, and a few of them appropriated.
+
+Although his investigation thus far was reassuring, Leslie was not yet
+by any means satisfied.  He wished to obtain a much clearer idea than he
+yet possessed of the actual extent and general shape of his island; and
+the only way by which this was to be accomplished, and at the same time
+a general survey of it effected, was to ascend to the summit of the
+mountain.  This promised to be a decidedly arduous task, in that
+climate, especially as they had been cooped up for so long a time within
+the narrow confines of a small vessel, with very limited space for
+taking exercise.  But he determined nevertheless to attempt it, feeling
+that he could never be perfectly easy in his mind until he had done so,
+and they accordingly set out forthwith on their way.
+
+Path, of course, there was none; but this was of little moment, for they
+knew that so long as they continued to ascend every step took them so
+much nearer to the summit; and they were agreeably surprised to find
+that the bush and undergrowth that, at a distance, had appeared to be
+absolutely impenetrable, was not nearly so dense as it had looked.  They
+were consequently enabled, by adopting a somewhat serpentine route, to
+make very fair upward progress, although they occasionally encountered
+spots where a passage had to be forced, and where Flora's dainty white
+costume suffered somewhat.
+
+They had not gone very far upon their way before Leslie discovered, to
+his great relief and satisfaction, that they certainly need have no fear
+of starvation, even in the event of their being doomed to remain where
+they were for the rest of their lives.  For, as they went, fruit-bearing
+trees of many kinds were found in great profusion, growing luxuriantly,
+and many of them loaded with most luscious fruit.  Mangoes, bananas,
+plantains, limes, custard-apples, and bread-fruit were among the
+varieties that Leslie recognised; and there were many others with which
+he was unfamiliar, and which he therefore regarded with more or less
+suspicion.  They saw no signs of animals of any kind; but the forest
+seemed to be alive with birds, the extraordinary tameness--or rather
+fearlessness--of which seemed to argue an unfamiliarity with man.
+
+Two hours of arduous climbing brought the adventurers to a most romantic
+spot, where a small stream of deliciously pure and cold fresh water
+gushed out from under a huge overhanging moss-grown rock, the banks of
+the rivulet being clothed with ferns of the most lovely and delicate
+varieties, while the surrounding sward was gay with flowers of strange
+forms and most exquisitely delicate and beautiful combinations of
+colouring.  A huge tree, bearing large blossoms of vivid scarlet instead
+of leaves--which Leslie identified as the "bois-immortelle"--overhung
+the spot; and as the pair were by this time feeling somewhat tired and
+hungry, they seated themselves upon the yielding sward, and Leslie
+surrendering the lunch-basket to Flora, the latter spread the cloth on
+the grass and set out as dainty and enticing a luncheon as, supplemented
+by the fruit with which Leslie had filled his pockets, two hungry people
+need ever desire to find before them.
+
+A narrow vista through the trees afforded the travellers a glimpse of
+the sea stretching blue and foam-flecked below them and right out to the
+horizon; and as Leslie judged from this glimpse that they must have
+accomplished considerably more than half their climb, the pair lingered
+for some time over their meal, resting their tired limbs and enjoying
+the loveliness of their surroundings.  Then, after an interval of about
+an hour and a half, they again proceeded on their way, making better
+progress now than they did at first, as the undergrowth and trees became
+from this point steadily thinner as they progressed, until at length
+they were able to catch occasional glimpses of the summit for which they
+were aiming.  Finally they emerged from the bush altogether, to find
+themselves breasting a steep slope, the soil of which was composed of
+fine scoriae and ashes.
+
+"Just as I anticipated," ejaculated Leslie, as he stooped to examine the
+ground.  "This island is volcanic; and yonder peak--the top of which,
+you will notice, appears to have been broken off--is the crater.  But do
+not be alarmed," he continued, seeing a startled expression leap into
+his companion's eyes, "the volcano is undoubtedly extinct, and has
+probably been so for ages; for if you will but look around you at all
+this vegetation you will notice that it bears no remotest sign or
+indication of ever having been disturbed by volcanic action.  I am not
+botanist enough to be able to judge the ages of those trees that we see
+below us; but thousands of them must be considerably more than half a
+century old; and as it is evident that no eruption has taken place since
+they started to grow, I think we may rest satisfied that no disturbance
+is in the least likely to occur during our occupation of the place.  But
+let us push on; it is nearly one o'clock, and I am anxious to get up
+there to have a good look round and make a complete survey of our
+dominions."
+
+They accordingly resumed their climb; and after a further three-quarters
+of an hour of arduous labour--the steepness of the acclivity and the
+looseness of the soil rendering progress exceedingly slow and
+difficult--they finally reached their goal, to find themselves standing,
+as it were, upon the rim of a huge basin about a third of a mile in
+diameter and some three hundred feet deep, the inner sides sloping
+almost perpendicularly, and the bottom forming a small lake.  The
+perfectly bare sides were much too steep and the soil altogether too
+loose and treacherous to render an attempt at descent advisable, even
+had they wished it--which they did not--it sufficed Leslie that the
+whole appearance of the place confirmed his previous conviction that the
+volcano was extinct; and without wasting a second glance upon it he at
+once turned his attention to the scene beneath him.
+
+They had happened, by a stroke of good luck, to hit upon the very
+highest point in the lip of the crater, and they were thus enabled to
+see, from the spot on which they stood, the entire extent of the island,
+to its uttermost limits; and they found it much bigger than they had
+anticipated.
+
+In plan it bore a rough resemblance to a right-angled triangle, the body
+of which had been so twisted as to cause its apex to bear to the right.
+The base of this triangle, opposite to which the wreck of the brig could
+be seen as a tiny toy almost immediately beneath them, faced south-east,
+and appeared to measure between three and four miles across between its
+two extreme points, while the side corresponding to the perpendicular of
+the triangle was, according to Leslie's estimate, nearly, if not quite,
+ten miles long.  The crater was situated not in the centre of the
+island, but quite close to its south-eastern side, which accounted for
+the steepness of the acclivity that the explorers had been obliged to
+climb.  Northward of the crater, after the first five hundred feet of
+steep decline that formed the summit proper, the ground, undulating
+picturesquely, fell away in quite a gentle slope to the most northerly
+extremity of the island, which Leslie judged to be a fairly bold
+headland.  The barrier reef, upon which the brig lay stranded, was
+visible with startling distinctness throughout its entire length from
+this point; and Leslie observed that it formed a natural and most
+efficient breakwater to the lagoon that stretched along the entire
+south-east shore of the island, curving gradually round in a crescent
+form until it joined the island itself at its most westerly extremity,
+while away to the eastward there was a deep-water passage, between the
+reef and the island, of about an eighth of a mile in width.
+
+Turning his attention once more to the island itself, Leslie observed
+that it was wooded to its uttermost extremity, and that no beach was to
+be discovered in any direction save that upon which they had landed, the
+ground appearing everywhere else to slope precipitously to the sea, in
+the form of bold cliffs.  And, as savages would naturally build their
+villages close to a beach, to secure facilities for their fishing
+operations, Leslie was further confirmed in his hope that his island was
+uninhabited; especially as he looked carefully in every direction for
+the smoke of fires, and found none.
+
+Then he allowed his eyes to wander farther afield, and intently scanned
+the entire visible surface of the ocean, in search of a sail, but
+without success.  He was not surprised at this; for he knew the island
+to be situated far out of the track of all ships, save perhaps whalers,
+and craft that might be driven by adverse winds out of their proper
+course; and although it is the first instinct of the castaway sailor to
+maintain a ceaseless watch for a sail, the ex-lieutenant knew that the
+chance of rescue for himself and his companion by a passing ship was
+altogether too slight to be seriously given a place in his plans for the
+future.  Nevertheless, for a moment he entertained the idea of erecting
+a flagstaff on the summit and hoisting a flag upon it for the purpose of
+attracting the attention of any ship that might perchance pass the
+place; but a very brief consideration of the project sufficed to
+convince him that the benefit to be derived therefrom was much too
+problematical to justify the expenditure of so much labour and time as
+it would involve.  Moreover he had a conviction that any ship sighting
+so conspicuous an object as the island in a spot shown upon the charts
+as clear sea, would approach and give the place an overhaul.
+
+But although Leslie's most careful scrutiny failed to reveal any sign of
+the presence of ships, he was astonished to discover that there was
+other land in sight from his lofty lookout.  He clearly saw two other
+eminences peering above the horizon to the westward, one bearing as
+nearly as possible due west, and the other about south-west, while away
+in the north-western quarter he believed he detected the loom of land at
+a very great distance.  The two islands in clear view were apparently
+about the same distance away--a distance which, from their delicate,
+filmy appearance, he estimated to be quite a hundred miles; and he knew
+that they must be, like his own, mountainous, from the fact that they
+showed above the horizon.
+
+The sun was by this time settling perceptibly in the western sky, and,
+lovely as was the prospect that stretched around them, Leslie felt that
+the time had arrived for them to be moving once more; they accordingly
+threw a final parting glance around them, and began the descent of the
+mountain.  To ascend was one thing; to descend, quite another; and in a
+little more than an hour from the moment of leaving the summit they
+found themselves once more on the beach and beside their boat.  Then,
+greatly fatigued by their unwonted exertions, but with the memory of a
+thoroughly enjoyable day fresh upon them, they paddled leisurely off to
+the brig, reaching her just as the sun was dipping below the horizon.
+
+Their experiences of that day only whetted Leslie's--and, it must be
+confessed, Flora's--appetite for further exploration and adventure; the
+former in particular felt that he would never be satisfied until he had
+circumnavigated his island and critically examined every yard of its
+coast-line.  To do this, a boat was of course necessary, or at least
+something of a much more seaworthy character than the "pontoon" in which
+he had adventured the passage to the island.  And they had nothing of
+the kind.  After Flora had retired to her cabin, however, Leslie spent
+an hour or so on deck, smoking his pipe and pondering upon the problem
+of how to supply the deficiency; and when at length he turned in, he
+believed he saw his way.
+
+The following morning accordingly found him astir bright and early,
+eager to put his ideas into immediate execution.  He first got on deck
+again the pontoon that he had used on the previous day, and proceeded to
+considerably strengthen her by the addition of further wales, stringers,
+and beams; and when he had got her to his liking, he proceeded to treat
+the other in a precisely similar fashion.  Then he fitted them both with
+rudders.  Next, having carefully disposed the two pontoons on deck, with
+their longitudinal centre-lines parallel and nine feet apart, he first
+decked them both completely in, leaving only a manhole eighteen inches
+square in the middle of each deck; and then proceeded to frame and fit
+together a thoroughly strong platform, twelve feet square, so arranged
+that it could be securely bolted to the gunwales of the two pontoons in
+the positions they occupied relatively to each other.  This done, he
+launched the whole arrangement overboard; and found himself the proud
+and happy possessor of what, for want of a better and more appropriate
+name, he called a "catamaran;" the structure consisting, of course, of
+the two pontoons arranged parallel to each other, with a water space of
+six feet between them, and firmly and strongly connected with each other
+by the platform; the whole forming a very buoyant and commodious raft,
+capable of being rigged, and promising to behave exceedingly well under
+sail in smooth and even in moderately rough water.  To rig this
+singular-looking craft with an enormous mainsail and jib was no very
+difficult matter, the wreckage alongside furnishing him with the
+requisite spars, canvas, and rigging.  Each of the rudders was then
+furnished with a tiller; and these two tillers being connected together
+with a cross-piece, were controlled by a central tiller that actuated
+both rudders simultaneously.  The construction and completion of this
+catamaran cost Leslie three whole weeks of arduous labour; but when she
+was finished he felt that the time had been well spent.
+
+The next thing in order was to subject the craft to a sea-trial; and
+this Leslie at once proceeded to do.  He left Flora on board the brig,
+with Sailor as her companion and protector, not caring to risk the
+girl's safety on the catamaran until the reliability and sea-going
+qualities of the latter had been tested; but he promised her that he
+would not be absent more than two hours at the utmost, when, if
+everything proved satisfactory, he would return and take her for a
+cruise; and he suggested that she might devote the interval to the
+preparation of a luncheon-basket to serve them for the day.  Then,
+hoisting his sails, he pushed off, and got the craft under way.
+
+His first act, after getting away from the brig, was to test the
+behaviour of the catamaran under sail by putting her through a series of
+evolutions, such as tacking, jibing, and so on; and then, finding that
+she proved to be marvellously handy, he tested her speed off and on the
+wind.  The trade wind happened to be piping up quite strong that day,
+and it was therefore a very favourable occasion upon which to subject
+the craft to such a test as Leslie desired; and he was not only
+delighted but astonished at the quite unexpected turn of speed that the
+craft developed, this being doubtless due to the enormous spread of
+canvas that her peculiar form of construction enabled her to carry.  She
+skimmed down-wind with the speed of a swallow, and was scarcely less
+swift when close-hauled and looking up within four points of the wind.
+
+More than satisfied with the behaviour of his catamaran in smooth water,
+Leslie next headed her to the north-east, steering for the passage
+between the island and the reef that led to the open sea.  The distance
+to be traversed was about four miles, and this the quaint-looking craft
+covered in seventeen minutes by Leslie's watch, passing in an instant
+from smooth water out on to a tumbling surface of sapphire-blue creaming
+and foaming sea, with a long and rather formidable swell under-running
+it.  This was the sort of sea to find out for Leslie the weak points in
+his structure, if it had any; and for the next half-hour--while
+"carrying-on," and driving his craft full tilt against the sea under the
+heavy pressure of her enormous unreefed sails--he watched his craft
+carefully and anxiously, ready at the first sign of weakness to up-helm
+and run back to the shelter of the lagoon.  But no such sign revealed
+itself; on the contrary, she not only stood up to her canvas "as stiff
+as a house," but slid along over the high-running sea as buoyantly as an
+empty cask, hanging to windward with a tenacity that filled her happy
+owner with wonder; throwing a little spray over her weather bow
+occasionally, it is true, but otherwise going along as dry as a bone.
+Her speed, too, was truly astounding; had the poor old _Mermaid_ been
+all ataunto and alongside her, the catamaran could have sailed round and
+round her.  At length, thoroughly satisfied with his trial, and fully
+convinced of the absolute seaworthiness of his craft, Leslie tacked--the
+catamaran working like a top, even in the heavy sea that was running--
+and, putting up his helm, bore away back for the lagoon, reaching the
+brig once more after an absence of about an hour and a half.
+
+He found Flora awaiting him, attired in a good serviceable and
+comfortably warm serge gown--for he had warned her that she would find
+the strong breeze a trifle chill out at sea--and with the lunch-basket
+packed and ready.  It was the work of less than a minute to transfer her
+and the basket from the deck of the brig to that of the catamaran, when,
+leaving Sailor to take care of the former--much to his disgust--they
+once more pushed off, and headed straight out for the passage skirting
+the inner edge of the reef, and noting, as they slid rapidly along, that
+this inner margin of the reef was simply teeming with fish.  Then,
+almost before they had time to realise it, they were in the open sea
+once more, and heading away to the northward and westward with the
+mainsheet eased off to its utmost limit, and the main-boom square out to
+starboard.  Leslie allowed himself an offing of about a mile, as this
+would enable him not only to get a very good general idea of the island
+as a whole, but would also enable him to carefully examine the
+coast-line.
+
+The easternmost extremity of the island--between which and the barrier
+reef the deep-water passage lay--was a bold headland thickly overgrown
+with tall and stately forest trees, and terminating in a rocky cliff
+about one hundred and fifty feet high, that dipped sheer down into the
+sea; and beyond this, to the northward, the coast-line curved inward
+somewhat to the most northerly point on the island, forming what might
+almost be termed a shallow bay--shallow, that is to say, in point of
+depth of itself, but not of its depth of water, for the whole
+north-easterly coast-line of the island consisted of precipitous cliffs
+averaging about a hundred feet in height, with water enough alongside to
+float the biggest ship that was ever launched, if one might judge from
+its colour.  There was no sign or possibility of a beach anywhere along
+here, which was comforting to Leslie, whose mind somehow still clung
+rather tenaciously to the idea of possible savages.  But nothing mortal
+could by any possibility land on that eastern seaboard, nor would
+savages be likely to establish themselves in a spot so completely
+inaccessible from the sea.  Moreover, the entire country, from the ridge
+or backbone of the island, that ran from the crater down to the most
+northerly point of the island, was densely covered with vegetation,
+showing no faintest sign of clearing or cultivation, so that Leslie
+began once more to feel reassured.
+
+The most northerly point of the island was reached and rounded in some
+forty minutes from the moment of leaving the lagoon and bearing away
+round Cape Flora--as Dick insisted on naming the bold headland that
+formed the eastern extremity of the island.  This most northerly point
+was, like the other, a lofty vertical cliff, timber--crowned to its very
+verge and descending vertically into the sea; and Flora declared that
+the only possible designation for it was Point Richard.
+
+Rounding Point Richard, then, and hauling in the mainsheet, the voyagers
+found themselves suddenly under the lee of the land and in smooth water,
+save for the long undulations of swell that came sweeping up to them
+from the southward.  They were now coasting down the western side of the
+island; and here again Leslie was gratified to discover that the
+conclusions arrived at by him during his visit to the summit were
+correct; there was no beach throughout the whole length of the
+coast-line; nothing but sheer perpendicular cliffs everywhere, although
+in places these cliffs rose no higher than some twenty feet above the
+sea-level.  Finally they arrived off the south-westerly extremity of the
+island--which they agreed to name Mermaid Head--and found themselves
+skirting the outer edge of the reef, at a distance of about one hundred
+yards from the surf-line, lost in wonderment and admiration of the great
+wall of snowy foam and spray that leapt, sparkling like a cloud of
+jewels, some forty feet into the clear sunlit air.  Then they re-entered
+the lagoon and ran alongside the brig--to the exuberant delight of
+Sailor--some three hours from the moment of starting, having had a most
+enjoyable sail, and satisfied themselves definitely that, since no
+savages existed on their own side of the island, the place must of
+necessity be altogether free from their unwelcome presence.  And
+thenceforward Leslie's mind was completely free from at least that one
+anxiety.
+
+And now, having provided himself with the means not only to pass freely
+and rapidly between the brig and the shore, but also to venture out to
+sea in chase of a ship, should occasion to do so arise, Leslie felt
+himself free to proceed with the execution of his great plan for the
+establishment of a dockyard ashore, and the construction of a craft
+sufficiently substantial and seaworthy to convey him and his companion
+back to the world of civilisation.
+
+The first part of his task consisted in the erection of a spacious tent
+on shore for the accommodation of his companion and himself; and this he
+proposed to do with the aid of the old sails on board the brig,
+reserving the new ones and such canvas as he could find for the making
+of a suit of sails for the proposed new boat.  He accordingly got out
+all the old sails, and deposited them on the deck of the catamaran,
+together with a quantity of cordage, blocks, and other gear, a crowbar,
+pickaxes, hammer, and shovel, an axe, and a number of miscellaneous odds
+and ends that he thought would be useful, and conveyed the whole to the
+shore.  Then entering the woods, he selected the first nine suitable
+saplings that he could find, and cut them down, afterwards conveying
+them, one at a time and with considerable labour, to the site that he
+had chosen for his tent.  He next dug six holes in the ground--three for
+each gable-end--and in four of these holes he reared four of his
+stoutest saplings to form the four corners of the tent, setting them
+carefully upright by means of temporary stays, and ramming the loose
+soil round about their feet until they stood quite firmly.  Then, midway
+between the poles that were to form the gable-ends of the tent, he
+reared two others, some ten feet longer than the first four, these last
+being intended to support the ridge-pole of the structure, which he next
+hoisted into position and securely lashed.  Then he similarly raised the
+eaves-poles into position and lashed them, thus completing the skeleton
+of the tent.  The sides and ends of the structure, together with a
+central partition, were formed of sails, laboriously hoisted into
+position by means of tackles, laced to the ridge-pole, and securely
+pinned to the ground with stakes; and a spare main-course drawn over the
+ridge-pole, sloping down over the eaves, and drawn tight all round by
+ropes spliced into the leeches and secured to the ground with stout tent
+pegs, completed the whole.  To prevent the flooding of the tent in wet
+weather, Leslie took the precaution to dig a good deep trench all round
+it to receive the rain-water, and from this he dug another to carry it
+off.
+
+The next matter demanding attention was the furnishing of the tent.  The
+need of bedsteads was easily met by driving four stout stakes into the
+ground, connected at their tops by side and end poles, to which lengths
+of stout canvas were attached by a lacing; and the structure was then
+ready to receive the mattress and bedding generally.  The cabin lamp
+efficiently illuminated Miss Trevor's half of the tent, while a lamp
+taken from the steward's berth afforded Leslie all the light he needed
+to undress by.  Then the cabin table, the locker cushions, the
+deck-chair, the ship's slender stock of books, and a variety of odds and
+ends conducive to comfort were transferred from the brig to the shore,
+together with the galley stove and its appurtenances; and the pair then
+went into residence in their new abode--which, it may be said, they
+found much more roomy, airy, and comfortable than their former quarters
+aboard the brig.  The galley stove, it should be mentioned, was set up
+outside and to leeward of the tent, all cooking operations being
+conducted in the open air.  The erection of the tent, from start to
+finish, absorbed a fortnight of Leslie's time, and involved such a
+lavish expenditure of labour that, could he have foreseen it, he would,
+as he afterwards confessed, have started much less ambitiously.
+
+And now the ex-lieutenant found himself confronted by a truly formidable
+task, compared with which all that had gone before was a mere trifle.
+This consisted in overhauling the cargo of the brig, with the view of
+appropriating everything that could by any possibility prove of use to
+them either during their--as they hoped--temporary sojourn upon the
+island, or in the construction of the boat that was to take them away
+from it.  Leslie had become aware, from remarks made by Purchas, that
+the brig was taking out a very considerable quantity of machinery, but
+this was all stowed in the bottom of the ship.  On top of this there was
+a vast miscellaneous assortment of mixed goods of almost every
+conceivable description, and this it was that Leslie wished to get hold
+of and overhaul.
+
+Accordingly, he one morning went off to the brig and proceeded to lift
+off the main hatches, disclosing to view a number of bales and
+packing-cases, mostly of a size and weight that it would be impossible
+for him to deal with single-handed.  He saw that before it would be
+possible for him to raise even a fourth part of them it would be
+necessary for him to have the assistance of certain appliances, such as
+sheers, tackles, etcetera; but he succeeded in dragging a few of the
+lightest of them on deck and opening them.
+
+The first case opened proved to contain china--a breakfast, dinner, tea,
+and toilet service, very handsome, and apparently very expensive.  This
+would be exceedingly useful to them, for, to tell the truth, the brig's
+pantry had never been too liberally stocked; and the carelessness of the
+steward, combined with the heavy weather experienced by the brig, had
+played havoc with it.  He therefore fastened up the case again and
+lowered it carefully over the side on to the deck of the catamaran.
+Then he got hold of a bale of rugs.  These, he told himself, would help
+to make Flora's half of the tent more comfortable; and they, too, went
+down over the side.  The next case--a small one, bearing what appeared
+to be a private address--contained a dainty little sewing-machine--
+possibly useful also to Flora.  It followed the rugs.  The next case
+that came to hand, though a large one, was unexpectedly light, so Leslie
+roused it on deck and opened it.  It contained a number of bird-cages,
+such as are used for canaries.  Some of them were of large size--large
+enough to accommodate half a dozen of the little songsters--and all were
+very handsome and, apparently, expensive.  But they were not in the
+least likely to be of service, and would therefore only be in the way,
+so overboard they went, ruthlessly; the case itself, however, Leslie
+kept, as the wood and the screws might possibly be useful.  There were
+no more packages at hand that could be manipulated without appliances,
+so Leslie replaced the hatches, drew the tarpaulin over them and
+battened it down, and then made sail for the shore.
+
+As the catamaran ran in and grounded on the beach, Flora came down to
+meet him.
+
+"Well, Dick," she said--the name came glibly enough to her lips
+now--"what luck have you met with?"
+
+"Not bad," answered Leslie.  "I have not been able to do very much, for
+the cases are mostly too large to handle without a tackle, and I have
+not thus far found anything that will go toward building our little
+ship; but I have here a set of china that will gladden your heart and
+replenish your pantry; some rugs for the floor of your compartment; and
+a sewing-machine that you may possibly find handy later on."
+
+"And what have you brought that will be useful for yourself?" she asked.
+
+"Nothing," answered Leslie.  "The only other case that I could get at
+contained bird-cages--"
+
+"Bird-cages?" she repeated, with a burst of hearty laughter.  "Why, the
+brig must be quite a general emporium!"
+
+"Yes," Leslie assented soberly.  "I quite expect she will prove so.  You
+see, a place like Valparaiso imports every imaginable thing from Europe;
+and it would not surprise me to find even pianos, watches and jewellery,
+as well as clothing, books, and such like among the cargo."
+
+"Pianos?" exclaimed Flora, with delighted surprise.  "Oh, Dick, if you
+should find a piano, please--_please_ bring it ashore for me.  I am
+passionately fond of music, and a piano would be such a solace to us
+here."
+
+"If there is a piano in the ship you shall have it," answered Leslie.
+"Poor little girl! it must be horribly slow for you, cooped up here,
+practically alone, as you are.  I am but a poor companion, I know, at
+the best of times; and henceforth I shall be so busy that you will be
+left more alone than ever.  Yes; you shall certainly have a piano, if
+there is one in the brig."
+
+"Now, Dick, you _know_ I did not mean that--about your being a poor
+companion," answered Flora.  "On the contrary, you are the very best
+companion that a girl in my unfortunate situation could possibly have;
+for you are, before and above all else, a gentleman--a chivalrous,
+courteous, tender-hearted gentleman, with whom I feel as safe as though
+you were my brother.  And then you are brave, strong, resourceful, and
+so utterly unselfish that you amaze me--"
+
+"There, that will do, thank you," laughed Leslie.  "Do you wickedly wish
+to make me conceited?  Because you will, if you say much more in that
+strain.  As to `brothers,' I hope you don't look upon me as a brother,
+do you?"
+
+"Why, yes--almost," answered the girl, a little doubtfully.  "Do you not
+wish me to regard you as a brother, Dick?"
+
+"Um," he meditated; "of course that would be better than nothing; but--
+oh no; on the whole I think I have no desire that you should regard me
+as a brother.  There, now of course I have offended you.  What an ass
+and a cad I am!"
+
+"You are not; you are _not_!  And I will not have you say so," exclaimed
+the girl, passionately.  "And you have not offended me," she went on.
+"It is only that I am feeling a little depressed to-day; and your--I
+mean--oh, I cannot explain!"
+
+And therewith she turned away abruptly, and beat a hasty retreat to the
+shelter of the tent.
+
+Leslie looked after her as though for a moment he felt inclined to
+follow her.  Then he thought better of it, and meditatively proceeded to
+land the things that he had brought ashore from the brig.  This done, he
+hunted up the axe and wandered off to the woods in search of a couple of
+spars to serve as sheers for working the main hatchway.  The cutting
+down of these, the conveyance of them to the shore, and the towing of
+them off alongside the brig provided him with plenty of work for the
+remainder of the day; he therefore did not again meet his companion
+until the day's work was over and they sat down to dinner.  It was
+apparent that by that time the young lady had completely recovered her
+spirits; but she carefully avoided all reference to the little scene
+that had occurred earlier in the day, so Leslie thought it best to let
+the matter drop, although he continued to puzzle over it for several
+days thereafter.
+
+The following day saw Leslie once again aboard the brig, where he busied
+himself in getting his spars in on deck, converting them into sheers,
+fitting them, and by means of tackles and stays rearing them into
+position and securing them.  It was a long and heavy job, occupying him
+the entire day, and sending him back to the island at night completely
+fagged out.  But on the succeeding day he went off to the brig early--in
+fact, before Flora made her appearance--and strenuously devoted himself
+to the task of breaking out the contents of the main hold.  He spent the
+entire morning in rousing cases, bales, and packages of all kinds up on
+deck; and after partaking of a hurried lunch he carefully opened these
+and examined their contents.  Two of the largest he found to contain
+respectively men's and women's clothing; another contained books and
+music; a fourth contained stationery and drawing-paper; a fifth
+contained rolls of silk, linen, drapery, ribbons, laces, and
+haberdashery; and all these he lowered on to the deck of the catamaran
+for conveyance to the shore.  Others contained rolls of wall-paper,
+ironmongery, photographic materials, drugs--with the properties and uses
+of which he was unacquainted--lawn-mowers, garden rollers, and other
+matters that did not appeal to him; and these he sent over the side to
+keep the bird-cages company.  Then, when the sun was within half an hour
+of the western horizon, he left the brig and returned to the island with
+his booty.
+
+Flora seemed greatly amused when Leslie told her what he had brought
+ashore.
+
+"Why, Dick," she exclaimed, "there is enough clothing in those two cases
+to last us for the rest of our lives; to say nothing of that third case
+which you say is full of unmade silks and linen.  Surely it was scarcely
+necessary to cumber yourself with the last, was it?"
+
+"Who knows?" answered Leslie.  "It is impossible to say how long we may
+be compelled to remain on this island; and I intend to save every single
+article and thing that may by any possibility be useful to us.  I am not
+going to take any chances.  For aught that I can tell, it may be beyond
+my power to construct such a craft as I have in my mind; in which case
+we may be compelled to remain here until--it may be years hence--a ship
+comes along and rescues us.  I have no wish to alarm you, dear,"--it was
+surprising how often that term now rose to his lips, and how difficult
+he found it to avoid letting it slip out--"but I cannot conceal from
+myself--and it would be unfair to conceal from you--the possibility that
+we may be obliged to spend a quite appreciable portion of our lives
+here; and I intend to make the very fullest provision possible for such
+a contingency.  But do not be frightened," he continued, catching the
+sudden look of gravity that leapt into her face; "you shall not be
+detained here a moment longer than I can help."
+
+"Oh, Dick, it is not so much _that_," she murmured; "it is the terrible
+anxiety that my poor father must be suffering that worries me."
+
+"Ah, yes," agreed Leslie; "I can quite understand the poor gentleman's
+feelings.  Why didn't I think of that before?" he suddenly ejaculated.
+"Look here.  I will write a message, seal it up in a bottle, and set it
+adrift clear of the island to-morrow.  There is just a chance in a
+thousand--or perhaps ten thousand--that it may be picked up; and in that
+case, not only will your father's anxiety be relieved, but help and
+rescue will be brought to us.  I will write my statement immediately
+after dinner."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN.
+
+A DISCOVERY--AND A CONFESSION.
+
+The statement that Dick Leslie that evening wrote ran as follows:--
+
+"The finder of this document is earnestly requested to communicate its
+contents to Lloyds, the British Admiralty, the leading London
+newspapers, and Sir Ernest Trevor, K.C.M.G., Judge of Her Majesty's
+Supreme Court, Bombay.
+
+"On the--day of --, in the year 18--, the ship _Golden Fleece_, Captain
+Rainhill, sailed from London for Melbourne, having on board, among other
+passengers, Miss Flora Trevor, daughter of the above-named Sir Ernest
+Trevor, and Mr Richard Leslie.
+
+"On the night of the--day of --, in the same year, the ship's reckoning
+at noon on that day being Latitude 32 degrees 10 minutes North and
+Longitude 26 degrees 55 minutes West, the _Golden Fleece_ was run into
+and sunk by an unknown steamer during a dense fog.  The only known
+survivors of the wreck consisted of the above-named Flora Trevor,
+Richard Leslie, and a seaman named George Baker, belonging to the ship.
+These three persons were picked up and rescued on the following day by
+the brig _Mermaid_ of London, James Potter, master, which sailed from
+the last-named port on the --th day of --, bound for Valparaiso.
+
+"On the date of the rescue of the three above-named persons by the brig,
+Captain Potter met with an accident, from which he died on the --th day
+of --; and the mate, Thomas Purchas, succeeded to the command of the
+vessel.  Then Purchas gave way to drink, and on the night of the --th
+day of -- committed suicide by jumping overboard.  Thereupon Mr Richard
+Leslie, who had at one time been an officer in the British navy, assumed
+command of the brig, with the intention of navigating her to Valparaiso.
+During the passage of Cape Horn, however, the _Mermaid_ encountered
+contrary winds and very heavy weather, in which she was dismasted, with
+the loss of three of her crew.  The brig was then put under jury rig, so
+far as the resources of the vessel permitted; but it was not of a
+sufficiently efficient character to permit of her being worked to
+windward, and a persistent succession of contrary winds drove her deep
+into the heart of the Pacific Ocean, where, during a gale that sprang up
+on the night of the --th of --, she was driven ashore, and became a
+total wreck on the outlying reef of an unknown island, not marked on the
+charts, but situate in Latitude 16 degrees 8 minutes South, Longitude
+120 degrees 56 minutes West.  During this gale the _Mermaid_ was again
+dismasted, and Mr Leslie, who was at the wheel, was knocked down and
+injured on the head by the falling wreckage, in consequence of which he
+was conveyed below, where Miss Trevor remained in attendance upon him.
+He lay insensible for nearly thirty-six hours; and it was during this
+time that the brig struck on and was driven nearly the entire width of
+the reef, where she now lies.  The only survivors of this disaster are
+Miss Trevor and Mr Leslie, who undoubtedly owe their lives to the fact
+that they were below when the brig struck.  It is urgently requested
+that help be sent to them as quickly as possible, as the island upon
+which they have been wrecked lies quite out of the usual track of
+shipping, and their prospects of rescue by a passing vessel are
+consequently small.
+
+"(Signed) Flora Trevor.  Richard Leslie.
+
+"Dated this--day of --, 18--."
+
+"There," exclaimed Leslie, as he read over the completed document, "that
+ought to bring us help if the bottle happens to be picked up.  But we
+must not count upon it, for it may drift about for years before it is
+found.  However, we will do what we can to attract attention to it.  A
+mere floating bottle is a very inconspicuous object, and may be passed
+within a hundred feet without being noticed; but I will pack it in a
+good big packing-case before sending it adrift.  A floating case,
+especially if conspicuously marked, stands a hundred times as good a
+chance of being picked up as does a mere bottle."
+
+Accordingly, on the following day, the bottle, with the document
+hermetically sealed within it, was taken on board the brig and carefully
+packed away in the centre of a large packing-case filled with fine
+shavings from other cases; and then the entire exterior of the case was
+painted black and white in a bold chequer pattern, with the words
+"Please open" in bold red letters on each side, and as soon as the paint
+was dry Leslie put it on board the catamaran, and, running some three
+miles to leeward of the island, launched it overboard.  The case, being
+light, floated high, and, with its bold chequer pattern, formed a
+conspicuous object, calculated to attract attention at any distance not
+exceeding a mile.  Then he returned to the brig, and, with Flora's
+assistance, resumed his task of breaking out cargo.
+
+There is no need to state in detail the contents of each case and bale
+that they hoisted on deck; suffice it to say that the cargo, being what
+is known as "general," comprised almost every imaginable thing, much of
+it being of a character that would either conduce to their present
+comfort or be possibly useful to them in the future.  Only a small
+proportion of the whole, therefore, went overboard; and since the
+remainder would in any case be irretrievably lost to its proper owners,
+Leslie had no scruples whatever in appropriating it to their own use.
+
+The goods thus appropriated comprised an infinite variety of articles,
+among which may be enumerated enough lamps to illuminate a small
+village; a few pictures, with which they adorned the interior of their
+tent; household furniture of all kinds, such as bedsteads, with their
+bedding, wardrobes, dressing and other tables, chests of drawers,
+domestic utensils of every kind, cutlery, china and glass, carpets, a
+huge pier glass, and, to Flora's infinite delight, a magnificent Kaps
+grand piano.  Then there was more clothing--enough to last them both for
+the remainder of their lives--a case of repeating rifles and revolvers,
+another case containing ammunition for the same, and a quantity of
+valuable jewellery, watches, etcetera, cases of perfumery, handsome
+fans, bric-a-brac--in short, a sufficiency of everything to enable them
+to convert their humble tent into a most comfortable, elegant, and
+luxurious abode.
+
+This, however, was not all, or even their most valuable find.  There
+were cases containing picks, shovels, and other implements, some steel
+wheelbarrows, a case containing a large assortment of carpenters' and
+joiners' tools, cases of assorted nails and screws, and a very long
+packing-case, which, upon being opened, was found to contain a handsome
+and highly finished set of spars, evidently intended for a yacht of
+about fifteen tons measurement.  Close to this was found another case,
+bearing the same marks as the first, and containing two complete sets of
+cotton canvas sails, clearly intended for the same craft.  These
+valuable finds not only filled Leslie's heart with immeasurable delight,
+but set him eagerly searching for further cases, similarly marked.  Nor
+was he disappointed, for the next day's search resulted in his finding a
+third case, the contents of which consisted of a complete set of
+gun-metal belaying-pins and other fittings, together with a number of
+patent blocks, single, double, and threefold, that he had no difficulty
+in identifying as intended for the same craft.
+
+"Little woman," he exclaimed, "this find is worth more than all the rest
+of them put together.  These spars and sails will save me months of
+work, and shorten our term of imprisonment here by just that much.  They
+are intended for a craft of about the size that I had in my mind, and
+now, of course, I shall design her of exactly such dimensions as they
+will fit.  Are you not glad?"
+
+"Of course I am, Dick," she replied; "I am glad of anything that will
+ease your work for you, for indeed you have been making a perfect slave
+of yourself ever since we landed here.  The discovery of these things
+has, I suppose, relieved your mind of a great deal of anxiety; and I
+hope that now you will be able to take matters more easily."
+
+"I am afraid," said Dick, "there still remains a great deal to be done
+before I can think of `taking matters easily.'  I must complete my
+examination of this cargo, for one thing; and when that is done I must
+begin to pull the poor old brig herself to pieces for the sake of her
+timber, that being the only material available out of which to build our
+boat."
+
+"But surely there is no such very urgent need for hurry over all this
+work, is there, Dick?" remonstrated Flora.
+
+"Oh yes, there is," insisted Dick; "for the reason that, if another gale
+were to spring up, the brig would most probably go to pieces, and then
+everything in her would be lost, excepting, of course, such matters as
+might be washed ashore.  And the timber of which she is built would be
+more or less smashed up and generally made less fit for use than it will
+be if I am afforded time to break her up carefully."
+
+"I see," assented Flora, thoughtfully.  "In that case I suppose we had
+better go to work again, hadn't we?"
+
+So they resumed operations; Dick descending into the hold and slinging
+the cases, one by one, and then coming on deck and taking the tackle
+fall to the winch, and heaving the package on deck while Flora hung on
+to the tail-end of the rope to prevent it slipping round the winch
+barrel.  It was easy work for the girl, and such as she could do without
+becoming greatly fatigued; but for the man it was hard labour indeed,
+and such as sent him back to the island at night almost too weary to
+eat.
+
+But a day or two later he met with a find that more than rewarded him
+for all his toil, and rendered a further continuance of it unnecessary.
+Among the first cases that he came upon was a long and heavy one, marked
+like those containing the spars and sails, that, upon being opened, was
+found to contain copper sheathing, already cut to shape and carefully
+marked.  There was also, in the same case, a small, light, flat box,
+containing two drawings to scale; one being a sheer, half-deck, and body
+plan of a very smart, handsome, and wholesome-looking cutter,
+thirty-five feet long on the water-line, and ten feet beam; while the
+other was a drawing similarly marked to the copper sheathing, showing
+exactly where and how every sheet ought to be applied.  Near this case
+was another, similarly marked, a very large case as to length and
+breadth, but of no great depth.  Wondering what this could possibly
+contain, Leslie eagerly opened it and found in it the complete set of
+steel frames for the cutter, packed one inside the other, and each
+marked and figured in accordance with the sheet of plans.  And finally,
+not to dwell at undue length upon this discovery, important though it
+was, he also found the keel, stem and stern-posts, rudder and trunk,
+deck-beams, wales, stringers, skin and deck-planking--in short, every
+scrap and item of material and fittings required for the little vessel;
+so that nothing remained but to put the whole together.  A more
+fortunate find could by no possibility be conceived for two people
+circumstanced as he and his companion were.
+
+It goes without saying that the whole of this valuable material was most
+carefully and promptly transferred to the beach; and as the last item of
+it was unloaded from the catamaran Leslie flung himself down upon the
+sand and exclaimed, in accents of infinite relief--
+
+"There, that is a good job well done; and I care not now though the old
+hooker should go to pieces to-morrow!"
+
+"And now," returned Flora, "you will be able to give yourself a little
+holiday, and take some much-needed rest, will you not?  Promise me that
+you will, Dick, please.  You have been looking very anxious and worried
+of late, and have been toiling the whole day through, day after day, in
+the hot sun.  I am sure such arduous work is not good for you; and
+indeed I have more than once been tempted to refuse to help you, because
+I knew that, if I did, you would be compelled to desist.  But when I saw
+how eager you were I thought it would be cruel; and I could not bring
+myself to be that, even though I felt that it would be for your good."
+
+"You have been infinitely good to me, Flora," answered Leslie, with deep
+feeling--"infinitely good, and infinitely patient; while I have been
+impatient and exacting.  In my impatience--I can see it now--I have
+worked you cruelly hard--"
+
+The girl put her hand over his mouth.  "You shall not say another word
+until you talk sensibly," she declared.  "The idea of saying that you
+`worked me hard'!  Why, what _I_ did was child's play; a girl of fifteen
+could have done it without being distressed.  Please do not let me hear
+you say such things again!" she insisted, imperiously; immediately
+adding, "Now, you will promise to take a day's rest to-morrow, will you
+not, Dick?"
+
+"Certainly, if you wish it," assented Leslie.  "We will both take a
+day's holiday, and go fishing along the inner edge of the reef, shall
+we?"
+
+"By all means," agreed Flora.  "I have often thought that I should like
+a little fish, as a change of diet; I am getting most horribly tired of
+salt beef and pork and tinned meats.  But you have been so feverishly
+busy that I did not like to ask you."
+
+"Then," said Leslie, with severity, "please do not do it again.  How
+many times must I tell you that you have only to express a wish, to have
+it gratified, if I can do it, before you will believe me?"
+
+"I do believe you, Dick; indeed I do," she answered softly.  "I know
+that there is nothing I could ask you that you would not willingly and
+gladly do for me if you could.  You are the kindest, most generous, most
+chivalrous gentleman that I ever met--"
+
+"Stop, please!" exclaimed Leslie, with a sudden fierceness of energy
+that frightened the girl; "you must not say such things as that, or I
+shall some day forget myself and--But you have not yet heard my story; I
+must tell it you some day, Flora; yes, the time is drawing near when it
+will be imperatively necessary for me to tell you my story.  Then we
+shall see what your opinion of me will be."
+
+"So you really have a history?" remarked the girl.  "The people on board
+the _Golden Fleece_ suspected as much, and freely said so; and as I have
+watched you from time to time, and have observed your sudden fits of
+melancholy, I have often thought that they must have been right in their
+surmise.  Yes; you shall tell me your story, Dick; I shall be profoundly
+interested in it, I am certain; and if it is a sad one--as I more than
+half suspect--you shall have my whole-hearted sympathy.  But, whatever
+you may have to tell me, it will never alter my opinion of you; you may
+have met with misfortune, or suffered grievous wrong, but nothing will
+ever persuade me that such a man as you have shown yourself to be can
+ever have done anything of which you or your friends need be ashamed.
+Tell it me now, Dick, if you will."
+
+"No," answered Leslie, resolutely, though he longed for her promised
+sympathy more intensely than he had ever longed for anything else in his
+life; "no; I will not tell you now; the time is not yet ripe.  But it
+will be ere long; and then I will tell you."
+
+"So be it," agreed Flora.  "Until then I can wait.  And now let us go to
+dinner, for I see by the appearance of the cooking-stove that it is
+ready, and I am sure you must need it."
+
+On the following morning, in accordance with their over-night
+arrangement, they got on board the catamaran after breakfast and,
+sailing out to the reef, anchored on its inner edge, and started to
+fish.  They appeared, however, to have chanced upon an unfavourable spot
+to start with, for after about half an hour their efforts were rewarded
+by the capture of only four fish, so small as to be quite worthless,
+except for bait; Leslie therefore tripped his anchor and, setting his
+canvas, determined to try his luck somewhat further to the
+north-eastward, and nearer the entrance channel.
+
+They had been under way some ten minutes, slipping along over the very
+inner edge of the reef, with the deep-water of the lagoon on their port
+hand, when Flora, who was peering abstractedly down into this deep,
+pellucid water, suddenly cried out--
+
+"Oh, look, Dick, look; what is that huge object over there?  Is it
+another wreck?"
+
+"Where away?" asked Leslie, gazing out over the reef.
+
+"Down there in the water," answered the girl, pointing to a spot over
+the port quarter.  "I cannot see it now, because of the light on the
+water; but I saw it most distinctly a moment ago.  We sailed almost
+directly over it."
+
+"And you thought it looked like a sunken wreck?" asked Leslie.
+
+"Yes," answered the girl; "I certainly did.  It was as large as a ship,
+and had somewhat the appearance of one."
+
+"Well, we will go back and have a look at it," said Leslie; and, bearing
+up for a moment and then putting his helm down, he tacked, bringing the
+catamaran round in such a manner as to pass back over practically the
+same ground as before.  And presently they both sighted the same object
+again--a huge something that certainly bore some resemblance to the hull
+of a ship, lying submerged upon the sandy bottom of the lagoon, about
+fifty fathoms from the inner edge of the reef.  They were too far away
+from it, however, to distinguish it clearly, the light reflected from
+the surface of the water rendering their view of it indistinct; Leslie
+therefore this time wore the catamaran round, and, lowering her sails,
+allowed her to drift gently forward with the way that she still had on
+her.  And this time they passed right over the object, when, as soon as
+the catamaran was fairly clear of it, he let go his anchor and allowed
+his craft to drive astern again until she floated fair and square over
+the mysterious thing.  Then, lying down flat upon the deck of the
+catamaran, he peered straight down into the crystal-clear water, in the
+shadow of the craft, and saw beneath him what was unquestionably the
+weed-grown hull of a ship of antiquated model, of some four hundred tons
+measurement.  She was heading straight for the reef, with her stern
+pointing toward the island.  And as Leslie lay there intently studying
+her every detail, he presently made out a stout rope cable leading from
+her starboard hawse-pipe toward the reef, the end of it being buried in
+the sand.  Her posture was such as to suggest to the experienced eye of
+the sailor that she had driven over the reef, somewhat in the same way
+as the _Mermaid_ had done; but, unlike the latter craft, had cleared it
+altogether and had there been brought to an anchor, subsequently sinking
+where she lay.  She seemed to have been a three-masted ship, for Leslie
+could see the stumps of the fore and main masts, and believed he could
+make out the stump of the mizzenmast broken close off at the deck.  She
+had the appearance of a craft of somewhere about the Elizabethan period;
+being built with an excessive amount of sheer and a very high-peaked
+narrow poop, upon the after end of which the remains of what were
+probably three poop-lanterns could still be distinguished.  She had a
+slight list to starboard, and had, in the course of her long
+submergence, either settled or become buried in the sand to the extent
+of about half the depth of her hull.  What her nationality may have been
+it was of course impossible to tell, clothed as she was in a rankly
+luxuriant growth of weed.  Leslie carefully noted in his pocket-book the
+exact bearings of the wreck; and then, lifting his anchor, they resumed
+their fishing, their efforts being rewarded with an excellent day's
+sport.
+
+Leslie now set to work with earnestness and enthusiasm upon his great
+task of putting together the cutter, the component parts of which had so
+fortunately happened to form a part of the _Mermaid's_ cargo.  And the
+first thing he did was to name the prospective craft the _Flora_, as a
+compliment to his companion.
+
+Now, the _Flora_, when completed, would be a craft of very respectable
+dimensions; far too bulky, indeed, to be launched by the simple process
+of pushing her off the beach into the water, as one would launch a small
+boat.  The method of launching, therefore, was a matter requiring
+consideration, and would have to be arranged for before a stroke of work
+was done upon the boat herself.  Leslie thought the matter over
+carefully, and at length arrived at the conclusion that there was
+nothing for it but to build the boat upon properly constructed launching
+ways.  And for these he would require a considerable quantity of good
+stout timber properly squared; the provision of which involved a task of
+very considerable labour and difficulty.  Trees there were in plenty on
+the island, of ample dimensions for his purpose; but how was he,
+single-handed, to get them down upon the beach, even after they had been
+trimmed and squared?  And how was he to square them without a sawpit.
+The pit-saw itself he had, having found several among the other tools
+that formed part of the brig's cargo; but to work such a tool
+single-handed was an impossibility.  Weighing all these difficulties in
+his mind, Dick at length came to the conclusion that there was no
+alternative but to draw upon the brig for the necessary material; and he
+accordingly went, rather reluctantly, to work upon the task of breaking
+up the poor old _Mermaid_.  He decided that the deck-beams of the brig
+would be the most suitable for his purpose; and to obtain these it was
+necessary to break up the deck--a long and arduous job, only to be
+accomplished with hard labour and the assistance of an elaborate system
+of tackles.
+
+It was while he was thus employed that the first break occurred in the
+fine weather that had prevailed ever since their arrival at the island.
+It began with the gradual dying away of the trade wind, followed by a
+heavy banking-up of dark thundery-looking clouds along the western
+horizon.  With the cessation of the wind the temperature rose to such a
+pitch that work became an impossibility, and Dick was at length
+reluctantly compelled to knock-off and return to the shore, much to
+Flora's satisfaction--for she was continually in dread lest the untiring
+and feverish energy with which he laboured should result in his
+suffering a serious breakdown.
+
+As it was too hot even to walk about, the pair were perforce compelled
+to remain inactive all the afternoon; and Flora inwardly decided that
+this would be a good opportunity for Dick to relate to her his promised
+story.  It needed a very considerable amount of persuasion and coaxing
+to induce him to do so; but eventually he yielded and told her the whole
+miserable history from beginning to end, winding up with the words--
+
+"And thus you find me here to-day, a disgraced and ruined man, under an
+assumed name, without prospects or hope of any description, with only a
+hundred pounds wherewith to begin a new career in an alien land, and no
+possibility whatever, so far as I can see, of ever being able to
+establish my innocence and so win reconciliation with my poor, proud,
+heart-broken father.  Were it not for the fact that you are here, and
+must be restored to your friends with as little delay as may be, I could
+be well content to end my days here on this unknown island, alone and
+forgotten by all.  Indeed, I think it more than likely that as soon as I
+have discharged my duty to you I shall return here."
+
+"My poor Dick," exclaimed Flora, in tones of profound sympathy; "how you
+must have suffered!  I am no longer surprised at your frequent fits of
+depression and melancholy; the wonder to me is that you did not go mad,
+or die of shame, in that horrible prison.  But now that you have told me
+all you must put everything that is past behind you, and try to forget
+it; _I_ believe your story implicitly; you could not be the man you have
+proved yourself to be to me, and be guilty of so mean an act as theft;
+oh no, nothing save your own admission could ever make me believe that
+of you.  And you have all the sympathy of my heart, Dick; all my
+sympathy; all my esteem; all--oh, the thought of what you have been
+compelled to endure is terrible--terrible!"
+
+And, to Leslie's unspeakable consternation, the girl suddenly buried her
+face in her hands and sobbed as though her heart would break.  The
+expression of her whole-hearted sympathy and perfect faith in him
+touched him profoundly.
+
+"Don't cry, darling, please don't; I cannot bear it--and I am not worth
+it," he protested.  "I ought never to have told you.  I was a selfish
+brute to extort your sympathy by the miserable recital of my own
+misfortunes; I have basely worked upon your feelings."
+
+"You shall _not_ say it," she answered, laying her hand upon his mouth;
+"I will not have you abuse yourself, you who have already suffered such
+unspeakable cruelty at the hands of others.  You are _not_ selfish; you
+are _not_ base; you are nothing that is bad and everything that is good;
+you are a very king among men!  Oh, Dick," she continued, taking his
+hand in hers, "do not think me forward or unmaidenly in speaking thus to
+you, dear; I am not.  But do you think I do not know what your feeling
+is toward me; do you think I do not _know_ that you love me?  You poor,
+simple-hearted fellow, you are far too honest and straightforward ever
+to be able to deceive a woman, especially in such a matter as that; you
+may have thought that you were very successfully concealing your
+feelings from me, but I have known the truth--oh, ever since we have
+been on this island."
+
+"It is true; God help me, it is true!" exclaimed Dick, smiting his
+forehead.  "But it is also true that I never intended you to know.  For
+what right have I, a disgraced and ruined man, to seek the love of any
+woman?  And if I may not seek her love in return, why should I tell her
+that I love her?"
+
+"You are looking at the matter with jaundiced eyes, Dick," answered
+Flora, still retaining his hand in hers.  "I cannot wonder that you feel
+your humiliation cruelly; but the humiliation is really not yours; it is
+that of those who so shamefully plotted to ruin you.  You are guiltless
+of this horrible charge--I am as sure of that as I am that I am a living
+woman.  Besides, who is to know that Richard Leslie is one and the same
+man with him who stood in the dock charged with that shameful crime, and
+was pronounced guilty upon the strength of cunningly devised and
+manufactured evidence?  No one, of course, except my father; he must
+know; because, Dick dear, it is my fixed determination that he shall
+help you in this matter; you will accompany me to Bombay, and personally
+deliver me over into my father's care.  Then I shall tell him all that
+you have done for me, and been to me; and you will tell him your whole
+story, just as you have told it to me.  And I am sure that, if only for
+the sake of his daughter, he will take up the matter and bring the truth
+to light.  And, Dick, I am not going to allow your morbid feelings, or
+even maidenly reserve, to stand in the way of my happiness; you have
+confessed that you love me, and I know it to be true, for your eyes and
+your actions have told me so daily, for months past.  It cannot be
+unmaidenly, therefore, in me to confess that I return your love with all
+my heart and soul."
+
+"Oh, Flora, my love, my heart's darling, are you _sure_ of this?"
+demanded Dick, laying his hands upon her shoulders and gazing into her
+eyes as though he would read her very soul.  "Are you sure that you are
+not mistaking mere gratitude for a warmer feeling?"
+
+"Yes, Dick," she answered, "I am quite, _quite_ sure.  My gratitude you
+won long ago; it was yours when we first stood on the deck of the
+_Mermaid_ together, dripping from our long night's immersion in the
+sea--for had you not, even then, saved my life?  And it grew even deeper
+as I noted day by day your thoughtful care and anxiety for my welfare.
+But gratitude and love are two very different feelings; and while I
+should of course have always been profoundly grateful to you for your
+unceasing care, I am sure that I should never have learned to love you
+had I not first seen that you loved me."
+
+"Then God be praised for His unspeakable mercy in bestowing upon me this
+pricelessly precious gift of your dear love!" exclaimed Dick, fervently.
+"I will accept it, ay and I will moreover prove myself worthy of it.
+This blessed day marks a turning-point in my life; from this moment I
+leave my wretched past behind me; there shall be no more useless
+fretting and grieving for me.  My work, now, is first to restore you to
+your father; next to free myself--by his help, if he will give it me,
+but anyway, to free myself--from the undeserved stigma that attaches to
+my true name; and, finally, to win for you such a home and position as
+you deserve.  And, God helping me, I will do it!"
+
+This was the second time within a few minutes that Dick Leslie had
+spoken the name of the Deity, and nothing could more clearly have
+indicated the change wrought in him by the knowledge of Flora's love.
+Hitherto he had felt himself to be an outcast, cruelly and unjustly
+deserted by his Creator; despised and condemned by his fellow-men; but
+now everything was different; he firmly believed that God had at last
+relented and had given him this girl's love to comfort and encourage him
+in his great trouble and humiliation; and he once more took hope into
+his heart.  If God had relented, everything, he felt convinced, would
+yet be well with him.
+
+And what is to be said of Flora; is any excuse needed for the extreme
+step that she took in forcing a confession of love from Leslie?  Well,
+possibly there is; it may be that there are people who would assert
+that, despite her disclaimer, she was unmaidenly.  If such there be, and
+if excuse for her be needed, then let it be found for her in the
+following facts.  In the first place Leslie, despite his utmost caution,
+had betrayed his intense love for her in a thousand different ways,
+until the fact had become clear, unmistakable, and indisputable; a thing
+not to be doubted or gainsaid.  And, in the next place, she saw that,
+for some unknown reason, he never intended to declare his love if he
+could possibly help it.  A dozen times the declaration had trembled on
+his lips, yet he had resolutely withheld it.  Why?  Clearly for some
+reason that he deemed all-sufficient, and which, she fancied, must be
+intimately associated with those oft-recurring fits of gloom and
+depression from which she could not help seeing that he suffered.
+Finally, she loved him, and believed that--he also loving her--the
+knowledge of this fact might go far toward restoring his lost happiness.
+And when she had heard his story--told with all the bitterness and
+grief and indignation that had been eating into his soul and destroying
+his faith in God and man for over seven interminable years of
+suffering--she knew that she was right; that there was but one remedy
+for his misery; and, conscious of the nobility of her own motives, she
+fearlessly administered it.  Who can or will blame her?
+
+Meanwhile the brooding storm was slowly gathering its forces together
+for an outburst; the bank of cloud had piled itself so high above the
+western horizon that it had long ago obscured the sun; a weird twilight
+had fallen upon the scene; the stagnant air had grown even more
+oppressively hot than at first; not a bird uttered a single note; not an
+insect raised a chirp; not a leaf stirred; and in the profound silence
+the roar of the surf on the reef became thunderous in its resonance.
+They dined somewhat earlier than usual that night, and while they sat
+over their meal the darkness fell and they lighted the lamps.  Then
+Leslie went out to see to the security of the catamaran, making her fast
+to the shore with additional moorings; and upon his return Flora
+insisted that he should lie down on the sofa while she sang and played
+to him.  Then Leslie, in his turn, his heart lightened with returning
+hope and happiness, lifted up his voice, and for the first time since
+that terrible and memorable day, nearly eight years ago, broke into
+song.  And finally they began to sing duets together, his clear, rich,
+mellow tenor blending well with Flora's sweet, sympathetic soprano.
+
+The concert was interrupted by the distant muttering of thunder and the
+fitful flickering of lightning; and they went out together down to the
+shore to watch the gathering storm.  It was a long time in coming, but
+by-and-by, as they stood together close to the water's edge, a sudden
+swishing sound, like that of wind stirring leaves, became audible, and
+in another moment the blast was upon them and tearing across the glassy
+surface of the lagoon, darkening its surface and lashing it into foam.
+Then, a minute or two later, down came the rain in sheets, and they had
+to beat a precipitate retreat to the tent, getting a thorough drenching
+on the journey, though it occupied them but a minute.  The gale raged
+all through the night and up to nearly noon on the following day, when
+it broke, the sky cleared, and the wind gradually dropped to a moderate
+breeze, veering all the time round by north to east until the south-east
+trade wind was once more blowing, but very much more gently than usual.
+Upon going out, the next day, Leslie was delighted to find that the gale
+had done no damage whatever anywhere, all stores and materials having
+been effectually protected from the rain, while the direction of the
+gale had been such that it could not possibly harm the brig.
+
+Although the gale actually broke--as has been said--shortly before noon,
+it moderated so gradually throughout the afternoon that it was not until
+the next day that the sea had gone down sufficiently to permit of the
+catamaran being taken alongside the brig without danger.  As soon,
+however, as this was the case, Leslie went off again, accompanied by
+Flora, and resumed his task of breaking up the brig's deck.  It was
+about the middle of the afternoon when Flora, who had been allowing her
+gaze to wander out over the sea to the southward and westward, called
+her companion's attention to a small object floating at a distance of
+about a mile in the offing.  Leslie, ever on the alert, at once brought
+the telescope to bear upon the object, which appeared to be drifting
+helplessly before wind and sea toward the surf beating on the weather
+side of the reef, and immediately pronounced it to be a small canoe,
+apparently empty.
+
+"We must have that craft; she will be very useful to us," he exclaimed,
+dropping the telescope and preparing to cast off the catamaran.  "Will
+you come with me, sweetheart?  You can be useful to me by taking the
+tiller, when we come alongside her, while I jump aboard and make fast a
+rope.  But we must be smart or she will be among the breakers before we
+can reach her."
+
+A minute later they were under way and slipping along toward the
+entrance channel, upon clearing which Leslie at once hauled his wind,
+standing to the eastward for about a mile, which took him far enough to
+windward to enable him to fetch the canoe on the next tack.  He then
+hove about without a moment's delay, for the little craft was by this
+time perilously close to the surf, and it was questionable whether they
+would reach her in time to save her from being caught and dashed to
+pieces in it.  So close, indeed, was she that Leslie began to seriously
+ask himself whether he was justified in taking the catamaran into a
+situation of such danger for the mere sake of an insignificant canoe;
+but reflecting that she was evidently light enough to enable Flora to
+paddle about in her without much exertion, and that it would afford the
+girl pleasure to do so; also that the little craft would be very useful
+for fishing and other purposes, he decided to risk it; and accordingly
+steered to shave just past her to windward.  Then, when they were
+drawing close up to her, he handed over the tiller to Flora--who was by
+this time quite an expert helmswoman--instructing her to tack to the
+eastward the moment that he sprang into the canoe.  Then, taking the end
+of a rope in his hand, he stood by to jump into the canoe as the
+catamaran shaved past her.  Another moment and they were alongside the
+little craft, into which Dick nimbly leaped, with the rope's-end in his
+hand, crying, as he did so--
+
+"Down helm, dear, and put her round!"  A moment later he added, under
+his breath, "Hillo! here is a complication; a couple of naked savages in
+her!  I wonder whether the beggars are dead!"
+
+That, however, was not the moment in which to enter upon an
+investigation of the matter, for the two craft were on the very edge of
+the surf, and if by any chance the catamaran should miss stays nothing
+could save them.  So Dick, with lightning-like rapidity, took a turn
+with his rope and made it fast to a sort of broad thwart in the centre
+of the canoe, and then, hauling quickly up alongside again, he regained
+the deck of the catamaran just as she was paying-off on the right tack.
+
+As Leslie took the helm from her, Flora exclaimed--
+
+"Oh, Dick, what does it mean?  How came those two men--I suppose they
+_are_ men?--in the canoe; and where have they come from?"
+
+"From one of those islands, away out there to the westward, that we saw
+from the summit, without a doubt," answered Dick.  "I suspect that they
+were caught unawares and blown out to sea by that gale of the day before
+yesterday.  Once blown fairly away out of the lee of their own island
+they would have no choice but to keep their cockle-shell of a canoe dead
+before the sea, and to paddle for all they were worth, to avoid being
+swamped.  I take it that they paddled until they were absolutely
+exhausted and could do no more, and then flung themselves down in the
+bottom of the canoe and dropped into a kind of lethargy."
+
+"You think that they are still alive, then?" asked Flora.
+
+"I have very little doubt of it," answered Dick.  "These South Sea
+savages are pretty tough, I believe; and even were they not, it would
+take something more than, say, forty hours' exposure, in this climate,
+to kill them.  Oh yes; they are alive, all right."
+
+"And how will their presence on our island affect us, Dick?" asked the
+girl.
+
+That was precisely the question that was worrying Leslie at that moment.
+He had no personal knowledge of the native inhabitants of the islands
+of the Southern Pacific, but had a vague recollection of having either
+heard or read that, while some of them were very gentle and inoffensive,
+others were extremely treacherous and ferocious; some of them even being
+addicted to cannibalism.  He was not, however, going to alarm his
+companion unnecessarily, or say anything needlessly to raise her
+apprehensions; so he answered, with a great show of cheerfulness--
+
+"Why, I hope it will very materially shorten the period of our sojourn
+here, sweetheart.  They have the appearance of being good sturdy
+fellows; and I shall set them on to help me with my heavy work.  It has
+gone to my heart to be compelled to ask you to do even the light work
+that you have hitherto done for me; although I could not have got on at
+all without your assistance.  Now, however, with their help I shall be
+able to get on swimmingly, while you can amuse yourself in any way that
+you please.  Now I am going to tack; look out for your head, dear; I
+cannot afford to have you knocked overboard by the main-boom.  Helm's
+a-lee!"
+
+Instead of returning to the brig, Leslie proceeded direct to the island
+where, having landed Flora, he proceeded, with some difficulty, to rouse
+the savages, and supply them with food and drink.  They proved to be, as
+Leslie had said, a pair of fine, well-made men, naked, save for a kind
+of breech-clout round their loins, of sturdy physique, and apparently
+but little the worse for their adventure.  Nor were they especially
+unprepossessing in appearance, although there was a certain character of
+ruthlessness in the expression of their eyes and about their mouths and
+chins that caused Leslie to determine that he would keep a very wary eye
+upon them, at all events until he had learned a little more about their
+character and disposition.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN.
+
+FLORA'S ADVENTURE.
+
+Leslie's two dark-skinned guests--for they were nearly black in colour--
+ate heartily of the food that was given them, their eyes wide-open with
+wonder, meanwhile, at the many strange objects--especially the tent and
+the catamaran--that they beheld around them; and the ex-lieutenant
+especially noted, with fast-growing distrust, the glances of hungry
+admiration that they bestowed on Flora when at length she emerged from
+the tent and approached the canoe to note their progress toward
+recovery.  Leslie had already tested their knowledge of English, French,
+and German without success, from which he deduced the conclusion that
+they had not been brought into very intimate contact with the crews of
+vessels speaking any of those languages.  Their own language, on the
+other hand was, as of course might be expected, merely unintelligible
+gibberish to him.  This was unfortunate, since it would make intelligent
+communication between him and them difficult, at all events for a time;
+sailors, however, have a way peculiar to themselves of making their
+requirements understood by foreigners, and he had little doubt of his
+ability to overcome that difficulty ere long.  Indeed, on that same day,
+after the men had eaten and drank to their hearts' content, Leslie
+contrived to convey to their understanding the fact that he expected
+them to build a hut for themselves; and he indicated the precise spot,
+at a considerable distance from the camp, where he wished it to be.  As
+soon as they clearly understood what his desires were, they went off
+into the bush and, armed with a small tomahawk lent them by Leslie,
+proceeded to cut down some forty or fifty young and pliant saplings, the
+butt-ends of which they sharpened to a point, and then thrust
+vertically, into the ground in a circle some twelve feet in diameter.
+They then brought the tops of the saplings all together and bound them;
+thus producing a skeleton structure exactly shaped like a bee-hive.
+This skeleton they then strengthened by interweaving it with stout
+lianas--or "monkey-rope," as the sailors call the long, tough stems of
+the creepers that interlace themselves about the trees in tropical
+countries.  This done, they again vanished into the bush; quickly
+returning with two generous loads of the leaves of a species of palm,
+wherewith they quickly and deftly thatched the entire hut, and thus
+completed it.  The entire structure occupied but a couple of hours in
+the making; yet it had all the appearance of being a thoroughly
+comfortable and weather-proof dwelling.  As soon as the hut was finished
+Leslie demanded back the tomahawk; but although he shrewdly suspected
+that they understood well enough what he wanted, they affected not to do
+so, keeping a tight hold upon the implement all through the discussion,
+until Dick simplified matters by seizing the holder by the arm and
+gently but firmly forcing it from his grasp.  He then handed them a
+generous supply of fish, as an evening ration, and motioned them to
+withdraw to their hut, which they did, not over willingly, as Leslie
+thought.  That same night he went to work and manufactured a canvas belt
+for Flora, to hold a brace of revolvers and a cartridge pouch; and the
+next morning early he took a small piece of board, some nine inches
+square, painted it to represent a target, and nailed it to a tree.
+Then, girding the fully equipped belt round Flora's waist, he led her to
+the target, having first initiated her into the mystery of loading and
+discharging a revolver, and said to her--
+
+"As soon as you see that we have boarded the brig this morning, I want
+you to come up here and practise firing at that target until you have
+become a good shot.  Begin your shooting at about this distance,"
+marking off a distance of about five yards.  "Standing as close to the
+target as this, you can scarcely fail to hit it.  And when you are able
+to hit it three times in succession, I want you to retire one pace to
+the rear--so," suiting the action to the word, "and start shooting again
+until you have succeeded in hitting the target three consecutive times
+from the new position.  Then retire another pace, and proceed as before,
+until you are able to hit the target time after time without missing, at
+this distance," indicating a peg driven into the ground at a distance of
+about fifty yards from the target.  "When you can shoot straight at that
+range I think you will have attained a degree of proficiency sufficient
+for my purpose."
+
+"Very well, Dick; I will do as you wish, of course," she answered; "and
+I think I shall not be long in attaining proficiency, for I believe I
+have a very `straight' eye.  Indeed, I gained several first prizes in
+archery competitions at home.  But I wish, dear, you would tell me why
+you have suddenly taken this idea into your head.  Has it anything to do
+with the arrival of the savages on the island?"
+
+"Of course it has," answered Leslie, cheerily, thinking it best to be
+frank with his sweetheart--so far as it was possible for him to be so
+without alarming her.  "You see, little woman, the matter stands thus.
+We know absolutely nothing about these fellows, whether their characters
+are bad or good; whether they are treacherously disposed, or otherwise.
+And while I have little doubt that in a fair-and-square, open, stand-up
+fight I should be able to give a reasonably good account of them, it
+will not be amiss for us to be on our guard against treachery.  And
+there is no better way of dealing with savages than to inspire them with
+a good wholesome dread of one's powers and prowess.  I propose,
+therefore, that, as soon as you have attained the necessary skill with
+your revolver, we shall indulge in a little pistol practice together,
+_allowing them to look on_.  If they once get the fact thoroughly
+impressed upon them that we can both pot them, if necessary, at fifty
+yards, it will go a long way toward simplifying matters, by convincing
+them of the futility of attempting any tricks.  But you must not let
+this very elementary precaution alarm you, sweetheart.  As likely as not
+they will prove to be perfectly docile."
+
+"I am sure I fervently hope and pray so," answered the girl.  "But in
+any case," she continued spiritedly, "I shall not be frightened, because
+I shall always have you to take care of me."
+
+Nevertheless, as soon as Leslie, taking the natives with him, had
+arrived on board the brig, she sedulously devoted herself to her
+shooting lesson, infusing into it that whole-hearted seriousness that
+women are wont to bring to any task set them; with the result that when
+Dick returned that evening she was able to report that she had attained
+to the desired degree of proficiency.
+
+Meanwhile, Leslie found little difficulty in inducing the two blacks to
+accompany him aboard the catamaran and out to the brig.  And when he
+reached the latter he had not much more difficulty in making them
+understand what he wanted them to do--this, by the way, consisting
+chiefly in heaving away upon the winch.  He was careful to keep a
+watchful eye upon them all day, and especially when they first boarded
+the brig; being desirous to gather, if he could, some idea, from their
+looks and actions, whether they had ever seen a ship before.  But
+although, as the catamaran drew up alongside the stranded vessel, he
+noticed that they regarded her with a considerable degree of curiosity
+and interest, these were hardly sufficiently marked to lead him to the
+conclusion that they had never seen such a craft before.  This, however,
+was a comparatively unimportant matter.  What concerned him most
+intimately was the fact that, after their night's rest, they seemed to
+exhibit a good deal more docility and intelligence than they had
+displayed on the night before.  They worked well and--apparently--quite
+willingly, but did not appear to possess a very great amount of stamina,
+as they manifested every indication of being pretty completely exhausted
+before the day's work was over.
+
+The next three days passed without the occurrence of anything worthy of
+record, save that Flora, acting upon Dick's advice, continued her pistol
+practice, with the view of further perfecting herself at the target, and
+acquiring even still greater dexterity.  On the fourth day, however,
+feeling that she was tolerably proficient, and perhaps wearying somewhat
+of the monotony of perpetual shooting at a target, as soon as Leslie and
+the natives--one of whom now readily answered to the name of Cuffy,
+while the other did not disdain to be styled Sambo--had gone off to the
+brig, she resolved to treat herself to the luxury of a long ramble, with
+only Sailor for company.  Accordingly, packing a small basket with a
+sufficient luncheon for herself and the dog, she set off.
+
+She had not the least fear; for although they had taken many rambles
+together, neither she nor Leslie had ever seen the slightest trace of
+the existence of either animals or reptiles of any kind upon the island,
+and Dick had quite made up his mind not only that there were none, but
+that it was logically and physically impossible for any to get there.
+Besides, the natives were with Dick, and she had Sailor to take care of
+her; there was, therefore, nothing to be afraid of.
+
+Now although, as has been said, Leslie and Flora had frequently indulged
+in rambles together, none of them had been very lengthy, or had carried
+them far afield, with the exception of the one that they had taken to
+the summit; and Flora's fancy now yearned to explore "fresh fields and
+pastures new;" a tantalising memory of a certain grove of especially
+noble and beautiful flower-bearing trees situate on the north-eastern
+slope of the peak dwelt persistently with her, she had conjured up a
+fancy picture of this particular spot that made it appear to her
+imagination a scene of enchanting and fairy-like beauty, and she longed
+to satisfy herself as to how closely her imagination approximated to the
+reality.  Moreover, the walk promised to be an agreeably easy one, the
+slopes of the ground appeared to be gentle, and the face of the country
+finely broken; she therefore determined to wend her way in this
+direction.
+
+Sauntering quietly along, she soon left the open savannah behind her,
+and plunged into the bush, heading generally in a northerly direction,
+but accommodating her route to the inequalities of the ground and the
+varying density of the undergrowth; naturally selecting a path that
+afforded her the easiest passage through the bush.  In this manner,
+after a very pleasant and enjoyable walk for about an hour, she arrived
+at the crest of the eastern spur of the mountain, and, descending a
+gentle declivity, soon found herself in a region as romantically
+beautiful as even her vivid fancy had painted.  Ravine succeeded ravine,
+each with its own tiny streamlet meandering through it, and each more
+picturesque and enchanting than the last, until at length, emerging from
+this broken ground, she reached a stretch of park-like country with
+practically no undergrowth, the greensward being studded with
+magnificent umbrageous trees, some of which were a mass of lovely
+blossom of the most exquisite tints, while others were lavishly draped
+with orchids of every conceivable shape and hue.  She was by this time
+feeling somewhat fatigued and very hungry; she therefore selected the
+mossy roots of an enormous tree as a resting-place, and, seating
+herself, leisurely proceeded to eat her luncheon and to give Sailor his.
+The air of the place was exquisitely soft and balmy, the wide-spreading
+foliage shielded her from the too-ardent rays of the sun, and bathed the
+whole scene in a delicious golden green twilight; a profound silence
+reigned around, broken only by the soothing murmur of the wind through
+the topmost branches and the equally soothing rustle of the leaves--and
+it is not to be wondered at that the girl sank into a pleasant reverie
+that gradually merged into profound sleep.
+
+When at length she awoke, the changed character of the light, and the
+deepened sombreness of the shadows, warned her that the sun was already
+low, and that she must hasten homeward if she would reach the camp ere
+nightfall; she therefore seized her empty basket, and set out upon her
+return journey, following her outward route as nearly as she could hit
+it off.  But she had slept much longer than she suspected, and when at
+length she again reached the broken and romantic ground that she had
+traversed with such delight and enjoyment in the morning, the shadows
+had fallen so deeply that it was with the utmost difficulty only that
+she could discern her way, and she found herself obliged to proceed with
+the greatest circumspection.  And now it was that, for the first time,
+she fully appreciated the advantage of having Sailor as a companion, for
+the dog appeared to remember the way by which they had come much better
+than she did, running on before her for a few yards, then pausing for
+her to come up to him, and again running forward.  Several times he had
+persisted in adopting a certain route in preference to the one that she
+seemed disposed to pursue, and in each case had proved himself to be
+right; she therefore at length resigned herself blindly to his guidance,
+following him wherever he chose to lead.
+
+In this fashion the pair hastened forward as rapidly as the rough and
+broken character of the ground would permit, Flora by this time being in
+a tumult of distress at the knowledge that Dick would already have
+returned from the wreck and be wild with anxiety at her unaccountable
+absence--for she had said nothing to him about her intentions when he
+left her that morning, the expedition being the result of an impulse
+that had come to her after his departure.  The sun had by this time set,
+and even in the open the brief twilight was rapidly deepening into
+night, while where Flora now was, plunged in the heart of a wild ravine,
+thickly overgrown with trees and bush, it was so dark that she could
+with difficulty distinguish the form of the dog, even when he was close
+to her.  But she had the comfort of knowing that Sailor was guiding her
+aright, for she presently, found herself making her way over a
+particularly difficult bit of ground that she had a vivid remembrance of
+having passed during the morning; find the difficulties that she had
+then experienced made her more than usually careful now, as she was
+fully aware that a false step would probably result in an ugly fall.
+
+Yet, despite all her care, she took that false step, and instantly found
+herself plunging headlong over a low cliff into a dense tangle of
+undergrowth.  She was not hurt in the least, but to her chagrin she
+found herself so completely involved in the tangle that, struggle as she
+would, it seemed impossible for her to extricate herself.  Every
+movement of her body served but to involve her more completely, and to
+sink her more effectually into the heart of her leafy prison.  Fortunate
+indeed was it for her that there happened to be no thorns on the bushes
+into which she had fallen, otherwise she must have sustained very
+serious injuries in her frantic efforts to free herself from the tough,
+cordlike lianas that entwined her body and limbs so completely that at
+length she found it practically impossible to further move hand or foot.
+As for Sailor, he seemed quite incapable of doing anything more useful
+than run to and fro along the narrow ledge from which his mistress had
+fallen, barking distractedly, and utterly disregarding Flora's
+imperative injunctions to go home.  For she soon realised the
+exceedingly disconcerting fact that she was a helpless prisoner, as
+utterly unable to effect her escape, unaided, as though she were immured
+within the walls of a Russian fortress; and she further realised that
+unless the dog could be induced to return to camp and guide Dick to her
+rescue, she might actually remain where she was and starve ere her lover
+succeeded in discovering her.
+
+Meanwhile Dick, too, had had an unfortunate day.  For late in the
+afternoon, while breaking up the deck of the brig, the catamaran had in
+some inexplicable manner gone adrift, and, driving athwart the stern of
+the brig, snapped her mast short off at the deck, completely disabling
+her, of course.  In consequence of this accident, Dick had at once
+knocked off work, and taken the craft across the lagoon to the camp,
+intending to procure a new spar from the woods forthwith, and
+immediately proceed with the repair of the damage.  But the catamaran
+under sail was one thing, the same craft with her wings clipped was
+quite another thing; and in her disabled condition she proved so
+unexpectedly unhandy that the sun had set and darkness was already
+closing down when at length he got her to her usual berth.
+
+It was Flora's invariable custom to stroll down to the beach to meet her
+sweetheart as soon as she saw the catamaran coming in from the wreck;
+and Leslie was greatly surprised that on this night of all others--when
+the unusual lateness of his arrival and the dismantled condition of the
+catamaran might have been expected to excite her curiosity--she should
+fail to appear.  Yet her absence aroused no shadow of anxiety within
+him; for what could possibly happen to her, alone there on the island,
+with the dog to protect her?  Nor did the non-appearance of Sailor
+awaken any suspicion within him, for he knew that the dog and the girl
+were inseparable companions, and that wherever Flora might be, there
+would Sailor also be found.  He concluded that Flora was somehow
+detained for the moment, and that she and Sailor would presently present
+themselves as usual.  Meanwhile, he secured the catamaran, served out
+their supper rations to Cuffy and Sambo, and attended to one or two
+other matters.
+
+But when, having attended to these matters, he at length made his way to
+the camp, and not only found the tent in darkness, but the cooking-stove
+in its rear unlighted, he began for the first time to feel uneasy.  He
+whistled and called for the dog, knowing that if the animal were within
+hearing he would at once bark in response, even if he did not come
+bounding joyously to him, as was generally the case--for Sailor was
+almost as devotedly attached to Dick as he was to Flora.  But on this
+occasion no Sailor appeared, nor did he afford any other manifestation
+of his near presence.  Then Dick began to shout loudly for Flora, hoping
+to hear her sweet voice raised in reply.
+
+He now began to feel seriously alarmed, knowing that she must have
+wandered away into the bush, and perhaps have lost herself in the
+darkness.  Yet against this theory was to be set his knowledge of the
+sagacity of Sailor, who, he believed, was quite intelligent enough to
+find his way back to the camp from the uttermost extremity of the island
+in the darkest night.  He entered the tent and, lighting the lamps,
+looked round the living-room compartment, thinking it possible that
+Flora might have left a note explaining her absence, or saying where she
+was going.  But he knew that, had she written such a note, she would
+have left it in some conspicuous situation--as on the table--where it
+would at once be found.  There was no letter, either on the table or
+elsewhere, so far as he could see.  Then he instituted a thoroughly
+systematic search of the tent in quest of some sign or indication that
+might furnish him with a clue as to what had happened to her, or what
+had induced her to go off in this mysterious fashion, but without
+success.  He even ventured to peep into her sleeping apartment,
+wondering whether perchance she had felt unwell and become unconscious.
+But a single glance sufficed to show him that nothing of that kind had
+happened.  Finally, he hunted up a lantern, trimmed and lighted it,
+provided himself with a small flask of brandy, to meet a possible
+emergency, armed himself with a brace of revolvers and a small, keen
+tomahawk, and without remembering or being conscious of the fact that he
+was by this time fairly hungry--conscious of nothing, indeed, but an
+ever-growing feeling of keen anxiety and alarm--set out in search of the
+lost one.
+
+The first question that now confronted him was, In which direction was
+he to search?  There was no especially favourite spot, so far as he
+knew, to which she would be predisposed to wend her way; there were no
+roads or paths, or anything in the remotest degree approaching thereto,
+on the island: she would therefore be just as likely to head in one
+direction as another.  The grass in the immediate neighbourhood of the
+tent was to some extent trodden down, it is true, by frequent traffic
+round it, and a path had gradually been worn into visibility between the
+tent and the cook-house; but beyond that everything was as fresh and
+trackless as upon the day of their landing.  Then it occurred to Leslie
+to seek for traces of Flora's footprints in the grass, and he started to
+carefully quarter the ground beyond the worn area in the neighbourhood
+of the tent, carefully examining it with the aid of the lantern.  And in
+this way he presently discovered one or two imprints of the heels of her
+boots, but it proved impossible to follow the track for more than half a
+dozen yards; moreover, upon a further search he found so many, leading
+in such a number of different directions, that he soon realised the
+impossibility of determining which of them he ought to follow.  And all
+the time that he was thus engaged he never ceased to whistle and call
+Sailor, varying the proceedings occasionally by shouting the name of
+Flora, until he was so hoarse that he could scarcely articulate.
+
+In this laborious and painfully unsatisfactory fashion he spent the
+entire night, carefully quartering the ground until he had covered the
+whole area between Mermaid Head on the one hand and Cape Flora on the
+other, and extending rearward toward the mountain to about a quarter of
+its height.  The magnitude of such an enterprise as this, and its
+exhausting nature, can only be appreciated by those who have attempted a
+similar feat in a country overgrown with bush.
+
+By the time that the sun had risen and Leslie was able to dispense with
+the aid of the lantern, he was so utterly weary that he could scarcely
+drag one leg after the other; his lips were so dry that he could no
+longer whistle, and his throat so sore that he could no longer shout,
+while he was sinking with exhaustion from hunger and thirst.  Yet he
+pressed doggedly on, still prosecuting his search with grim
+determination and the same concentration as before until, close upon
+midday--when he was working over toward the eastern side of the island,
+he paused suddenly and listened as intently as though his life depended
+upon it.  Yes; there it was again--the distant but faintly heard bark of
+a dog--he was sure of it!  Gathering himself together, he once more
+strove to whistle, but failed; then he attempted to shout.
+
+"Sailor!  _Sailor_!!  Sailor!!!"
+
+He lifted up his voice in a steady crescendo until the last cry became a
+hoarse, cracked yell that was as unlike his own full, rich, mellow tone
+as any sound could well be.  Yet the dog heard it, ay, and recognised
+it, for he immediately replied vigorously.  Leslie continued to shout,
+dashing recklessly forward in the direction of the barking as he did so,
+and Sailor continued to reply; nay, more; now that he actually heard
+Leslie's voice calling him, he uttered a whining howl of excitement,
+hesitated for a few seconds, and finally bounded off to meet him in
+response to Flora's feebly uttered commands.  Five minutes later he came
+dashing madly up to Leslie, looked up into his face, barked, wagged his
+tail energetically, and then dashed off back in the direction from which
+he had come, stopping at every few yards to assure himself that he was
+being followed.  And in this way he led Dick forward, for about a
+quarter of an hour, over the rough, broken ground that Flora had
+traversed some twenty-four hours before, until the pair stood together
+on the spot from which the girl had fallen.
+
+By this time Flora had become quite invisible from this spot; for she
+had continued her struggles at intervals all through the night until she
+had worked herself down into the very heart of the clump of scrub and
+creeper into which she had fallen, and which had now closed over her
+head.  But there was a sort of indentation or sinkage in the surface of
+the scrub, presenting an appearance suggestive of some tolerably heavy
+body having fallen there, and at this indentation Sailor first
+steadfastly gazed, and then looked up into Leslie's face, barking
+continuously.  And, peering intently down into this, Dick presently
+became aware of what appeared to be some tiny shreds of clothing
+clinging here and there to the bushes.
+
+"Are you there, Flora?" he shouted.
+
+There was no reply; for the moment that the sound of Dick's voice fell
+upon her ear, encouraging and talking to the dog, and she knew that
+rescue was at hand, the long-endured tension of her nerves relaxed, and
+she fainted.  But Sailor's actions were not to be misunderstood; he
+continued to look alternately into Leslie's face and then down at the
+bushes, barking excitedly all the while and making as though he would
+leap down into the depression; so that even a very much less intelligent
+individual than Leslie could not have failed to understand that it was
+there that the missing girl would be found.  He called once more, and,
+still failing to obtain an answer, wasted no further time in hesitation,
+but, seeing that the base of the declivity was the proper point to
+attack, scrambled down as best he could, closely followed by Sailor, and
+attempted to force a way into the heart of the bushes from that point.
+He soon found, however, that the tough tangle of creepers was not to be
+conquered by his unaided hands alone, and so set to work vigorously with
+his tomahawk, cutting away at the tangled and knotted mass, and dragging
+the severed ends apart and aside until after about ten minutes of
+arduous work he suddenly found himself at the mouth of what appeared to
+be a spacious cavern under the rock from which Flora had fallen; and
+there, prone upon the rocky floor, with her light clothing almost torn
+from her body by her long-continued efforts to free herself, he found
+his sweetheart lying insensible.
+
+Kneeling upon the hard rocky floor, he raised the limp form in his arms
+and lost not a moment in applying his flask of brandy to her lips; and
+presently he had the satisfaction of feeling her stir in his arms.
+
+"Ah, that is good!  You are feeling better, darling, are you not?" he
+exclaimed encouragingly.  "Tell me, sweetheart, are you very much hurt?"
+
+"No, I think not," she answered, with a sigh of contentment as she
+realised that Dick was with her and that her troubles were now
+practically over.  "I only feel very sore all over from my long struggle
+to free myself; and also rather cold.  I have been here ever since
+sunset last night, Dick, fighting to escape from those dreadful
+entangling bushes; and I feel, oh, so utterly tired."
+
+"My poor little girl," exclaimed Dick, tenderly, "you have had a very
+trying experience, and one that might have proved very serious, too, but
+for Sailor, here.  Cold! of course you are.  Here, let me wrap my jacket
+round you--so; that is better.  Now, I am going to light a fire; the air
+of this place is chill as that of an ice-house.  And while you are
+warming yourself and getting a little life into your body I will clear
+away the bush a trifle more, so that you can get out without
+difficulty."
+
+There was plenty of wood to be had, suitable for building a fire, by
+simply cutting away the dry roots and tendrils of the bush in front of
+the cave; and in a few minutes Dick had a good fire blazing, by the
+light of which he saw that they were in the mouth of a cavern about
+eight feet high that seemed to reach back into the heart of the rock for
+a considerable distance.  And some way back, lying just within the
+radius of the area that caught the illumination of the fire, he
+presently noticed something lying on the ground that bore an uncanny
+likeness to a human skeleton!  He said nothing about it, however--having
+no wish that Flora's shaken nerves should be subjected to any further
+shock just then, especially as the imperfect view of the object that had
+been afforded him by the flickering light of the flames left him quite
+uncertain as to its identity--but at once went to work again with his
+tomahawk in a vigorous onslaught upon the bushes, managing, in another
+ten minutes or so, to make such a clearance of them as would enable his
+companion to pass out without difficulty.
+
+By the time that he had accomplished this, Flora had so far recovered
+that she declared herself quite ready to essay the journey back to the
+camp; and they accordingly set out forthwith, Dick very carefully noting
+the surrounding landmarks, with the fixed determination to return at an
+early moment and thoroughly examine the interior of the cavern.  As they
+went, Flora beguiled the way by relating to Dick, in full detail, all
+the particulars of her very unpleasant adventure; listening in return to
+Dick's account of his return to camp, his consternation at the discovery
+of her absence, and his long, arduous, and almost despairing search for
+her.
+
+They reached camp about two o'clock in the afternoon; and after
+snatching a hasty meal made up of the first odds and ends that they
+could lay their hands upon, retired at once to their respective couches
+to get an hour or two of that rest of which they both stood in such
+urgent need.
+
+It was within an hour of sunset when Dick awoke and turned out.  His
+first care was to light up the cooking-stove and get some sort of a
+dinner under way; and, this done, he strolled over to the natives' hut
+to ascertain what these gentry were doing, as nothing was to be seen of
+them in the vicinity of the camp.  They were not in the hut; and when he
+looked for their canoe he discovered that it had also disappeared.  His
+first thought was that they might have gone off to the brig and
+attempted on their own account to continue the work of breaking up her
+decks; and he felt a trifle vexed at the idea, fearing that in their
+ignorance they might do a great deal more harm than good.  But upon
+procuring his telescope and bringing it to bear upon the brig he soon
+satisfied himself that the canoe was not alongside her; nor, when he
+looked further, could he see anything of her anywhere along the inner
+edge of the reef, whither he thought they might have gone for the
+purpose of obtaining a few fish.  It was then that, for the first time,
+the suspicion dawned upon him that they might have left the island
+altogether, with the intention of attempting to make their way back to
+their own people, and a further search at length convinced him of the
+accuracy of his surmise; for a second visit to the hut showed that not
+only were its usual occupants absent, but they had taken with them all
+their trivial belongings; while a further investigation led to the
+discovery that they had helped themselves to a few such trifles as a
+pair of tomahawks, a few yards of canvas, some light line, a small keg--
+presumably to hold a supply of water; a bag or two of assorted nails, a
+couple of fishing lines, and possibly a few other unimportant odds and
+ends.  His first feeling at this discovery was one of vexation; for
+ignorant though these savages were, and difficult as he had found it to
+make them understand his wishes, they represented a certain amount of
+brute strength that he had already found most useful, and doubtless
+would have found even more useful later on, when he had succeeded in
+making them understand more clearly what he desired them to do.  But a
+little further reflection enabled him to realise that in seizing the
+first favourable opportunity to get away from the island and attempt to
+return to their own kindred and people, they were only acting upon a
+perfectly natural and commendable impulse; they were, in fact, actuated
+by precisely the same feeling that had dominated himself ever since he
+had been on the island, and were doing precisely what he hoped
+eventually to do.  And, having arrived at this conclusion, he dismissed
+the incident from his mind, and reverted to the same plan of life that
+had been his prior to the arrival of Cuffy and Sambo upon the scene.
+
+The following day was devoted by Leslie to the task of procuring a
+suitable spar to serve as a new mast for the catamaran, and restoring
+that craft to her former serviceable condition.  And it was while he was
+thus engaged that the thought first entered his mind that the accident
+by which the catamaran had become dismasted might possibly have been a
+blessing in disguise, since, but for that accident, the two savages
+might, by a not intricate process of reasoning, have arrived at the
+conclusion that such a craft would serve their purpose infinitely better
+than their own canoe, and forthwith appropriated her.  That they did not
+do so was perhaps due to the fact that she was practically unmanageable
+except under sail, rather than to any innate sentiment of honesty on
+their part.
+
+The catamaran having been once more rendered fit for service, Leslie
+decided to devote a few hours to the examination of "Flora's Cave," as
+he called it, while its situation and the landmarks in its vicinity were
+fresh in his memory; he accordingly set off immediately after breakfast
+on the following morning, telling Flora where he was going, but
+suggesting that she should remain in camp and take a thorough rest.
+
+Going easily, he arrived at the cave in about an hour and a half after
+starting; and at once proceeded with his investigation.  He had adopted
+the precaution to take a packet of candles along with him, and he
+commenced operations by lighting these, one after the other, and setting
+them up on the most convenient rock projections that offered.  He thus
+succeeded in illuminating the entire interior of the cavern quite
+sufficiently for his purpose.  Meanwhile, during the process of lighting
+up the cavern, he had already discovered that his first impression
+relative to the suspicious-looking object was well-grounded; it was
+indeed a skeleton; and his first act after completing his lighting
+arrangements was to subject this grisly object to a careful examination.
+He found it to be the skeleton of a man who must have stood about six
+feet high in his stockings, when alive.  Attached here and there to the
+bones were fragments of clothing, while on the ground beside the ghastly
+framework were other fragments of fine linen, lace, gold-embroidered
+velvet, and silks, showing that the wearer must have been a man of some
+consequence.  The waist was girded by a broad leather belt, so dry and
+rotten that it crumbled to powder in Leslie's fingers, and attached to
+this was a long, straight rapier with an elaborately ornamented hilt and
+sheath, all rotted and rust-eaten.  To the same belt was also attached
+the sheath of what must have been a long and formidable dagger.  And a
+couple of feet away from the head there lay a handsome steel casque very
+beautifully engraved and chased, but thickly coated with rust, like the
+rest of the steel accoutrements.  A closer inspection of the skeleton
+disclosed the fact that the skull had been battered in, while a dagger
+that might have belonged to the empty sheath was found sticking up to
+its hilt in one of the ribs.
+
+Turning from the skeleton, Leslie next proceeded to carefully examine a
+great pile of small cases, packages, and casks that had already come
+under his casual notice while engaged in lighting up the cave.  He took
+these as they came most conveniently to his hand, the casks first
+claiming his attention.  With the assistance of a small axe that he had
+taken the precaution to bring with him he soon forced off the head of
+one of these, revealing its contents.  It consisted of a solid cake of
+some hard, black substance, moulded to the shape of the cask, that upon
+critical examination proved--as he had more than half expected--to be
+gunpowder, caked into a solid mass and completely spoiled by damp.  Two
+similar casks were also found to contain powder in a like condition; and
+therefore, acting upon the justifiable assumption that the contents of
+all the casks was the same, he rolled the whole of them, sixteen in
+number, to the opposite side of the cave, out of the way, and turned his
+attention to a number of small black packages that, when he proceeded to
+handle them, proved to be unexpectedly heavy.  His first thought was
+that they were pigs of lead, intended to be cast into bullets as
+occasion might require; but upon removing one of them to the open air,
+for greater convenience of examination, he discovered that the block--
+whatever it might be--was sewn up in what had once been hide, but was
+now a mere dry, stiff, rotten envelope that easily peeled off, revealing
+a dark-brownish and very heavy substance within.  This substance he
+feverishly proceeded to scrape with the blade of his pocket-knife--for
+the presence of the hide envelope prepared him for an important
+discovery--and presently, the outer coat of dirt and discolouration
+being removed from that part of the surface upon which he was operating
+with his knife, there gleamed up at him the dull ruddy tint of _virgin
+gold_!  It was as he had anticipated; the block upon which he was
+operating was one of the gold bricks that, sewn up in raw hide, were
+wont to be shipped home by the Spaniards of old from the mines of South
+America.  He lifted the brick in his hands, and estimated it to weigh
+about forty pounds.  The gold bricks were stacked together in tiers,
+twenty bricks long, four bricks wide, and four bricks high; there were
+therefore three hundred and twenty of them, and if his estimate of their
+weight happened to be correct, this little pile of precious metal must
+be worth--what?  A short mental calculation--taking the gold to be worth
+three pounds fifteen shillings the ounce--furnished him with the answer;
+the handsome sum of close upon seven hundred thousand pounds sterling.
+Quite a respectable fortune!
+
+But this was not all.  There were other chests and cases still awaiting
+examination; and, fully convinced by now that he had accidentally
+stumbled upon one of those fabulously rich treasures that the Spanish
+galleons were reported to have conveyed from time to time from the
+shores of the new world to those of old Spain--how it had happened to
+find its way to this particular spot he did not trouble to puzzle out--
+Leslie went to work to break open and examine the remainder of the
+packages, heedless of the flight of time.  Some of them he found to
+contain rich clothing, that fell to pieces as he attempted to lift the
+garments out of the receptacles that had held them in safe keeping for
+so long; others--two of the largest--were packed full of gold
+candlesticks, crosses, jewelled cups, and other vessels and articles of
+a character that seemed to point to their having been the spoils of some
+looted church--a circumstance that caused Leslie to suspect that his
+find represented the proceeds of some more than ordinarily successful
+oldtime piratical cruise.  And finally the innermost chest of all, and
+consequently the last arrived at, disclosed to Dick's astounded gaze a
+collection of jewels, set and unset, that fairly made him reel with
+astonishment.  There were great ropes of discoloured pearls, that would
+be priceless if they could by any means be restored to their pristine
+state of purity; diamond, ruby, emerald, and other necklaces, bracelets,
+rings, brooches, and other ornaments in more or less tarnished settings;
+heavy chains of solid gold; jewelled sword-hilts; and, last but not
+least, a great buckskin bag that was still in pliant and serviceable
+condition, containing a heterogeneous assortment of cut and uncut gems--
+principally diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires--every one of them
+apparently picked specimens, the whole constituting of itself a treasure
+of incalculable value.
+
+As Dick, having pocketed a handful of these gems at random to show
+Flora, replaced the heavy bag in the chest and sank back on his haunches
+to rest himself while he mopped from his brow the perspiration of hard
+labour and excitement, the light that streamed in through the mouth of
+the cavern was momentarily obscured, and Sailor bounded in, barking
+joyously as he sprang at Dick and tried to lick his face.  The dog was
+closely followed by Flora, who cried as she entered--
+
+"Dick, Dick, where are you?  Has anything--oh! there you are!  Whatever
+has kept you so long, dear?  Are you ill, or have you met with an
+accident?  Oh! what is this horrible thing?" as she stumbled over the
+skeleton, which she had failed to notice, coming as she did straight
+from the brilliant outdoor light into the dimly illuminated interior of
+the cavern.
+
+"That!" exclaimed Dick, lightly.  "Oh, that is just a heap of bones that
+must have been left here by the original owners of this commodious
+abode."  And with a sweep of his foot he unceremoniously transferred the
+poor remains to a dark corner of the cavern that he contrived to render
+still darker by dexterously extinguishing three or four of the candles
+in its immediate vicinity.  "As to my being ill," he continued, "I am
+happy to assure you, my dear, that I never felt better in my life.  And
+I have excellent reason for feeling well.  Look at this!"  And he
+pointed exultantly to the noble pile of treasure.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE.
+
+ABDUCTION AND PURSUIT.
+
+"Well, what is it, Dick?  It looks like a number of very old boxes.
+Have you come upon a pirate's hoard?--as you ought to do, you know, in
+such a cunningly concealed cavern as this," exclaimed Flora, laughingly,
+as she peered inquisitively at the pile that even now she could only see
+very imperfectly.
+
+"Ay," answered Dick.  "You may laugh as much as you like, little girl,
+but that is precisely what I have done.  Of course I am not prepared to
+assert positively that it is a `_pirate's_ hoard,' although it looks
+uncommonly like it, I must confess; but that it is treasure, and very
+valuable treasure, too, is indisputable.  Do you see this pile of black
+bricks here?  Well, those are _gold_ bricks; and I estimate their value
+at something approaching three-quarters of a million sterling."
+
+"Three-quarters of a million?" repeated Flora, incredulously.  "Oh,
+Dick, you cannot mean it; you are surely joking!"
+
+"I assure you, dear, I never spoke more seriously in my life; what I am
+telling you is fact--plain, simple, indisputable, delightful _fact_!
+And the gold is only part of the story."
+
+He lifted the covers of the other cases and held a candle while she
+looked at their contents, uttering exclamations of delighted amazement
+as she gazed.  Then he withdrew the buckskin bag from the jewel-chest,
+and placed it in her hands.
+
+"Lift that," he said simply.
+
+"Oh, dear, how heavy!" exclaimed the girl.  "I should not like to be
+obliged to carry this very far.  What does it contain?"
+
+Dick plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out the handful of gems
+that he had abstracted from the bag.
+
+"It is full of pretty little stones like these," he answered, displaying
+them to her astonished gaze.  "Put your hand into the lucky-bag, dear,
+and see what you can find there."
+
+She did so, and pulled out a similar handful to those which glittered in
+Dick's palm.
+
+"Why, this is a perfect cave of Aladdin, Dick," she exclaimed, in
+delighted astonishment.  "Where did it all come from, do you think?"
+
+"It is impossible to say with certainty," answered Leslie; "but I have
+very little doubt that it was brought to this hiding-place from that old
+wreck that you discovered sunk in the lagoon.  At all events it has lain
+here for many years--a hundred, at least, I should think; and its
+original owners have long been dead and gone, leaving no trace of their
+identity behind them.  It is therefore now _ours_, sweetheart--our very
+own; so the fact of our being cast away upon this desert island has not
+been an unmitigated misfortune, after all, you see."
+
+"No, indeed," agreed Flora, heartily.  "There was a time when I
+certainly so regarded it; but I do so no longer, for it has given me
+you, and it has made you a rich man.  Why, Dick, you must be a veritable
+millionaire!"
+
+"Yes," agreed Dick; "there cannot be much doubt about that.  At least,
+we are _jointly_ worth quite a million, which practically means the same
+thing.  And now, do you wish to adorn your pretty self with any of these
+gewgaws?  Because, if so, you had better make your selection, and then
+we ought to be going, for I see that the sun is getting low."
+
+"Yes, let us get away from here; it is a horrid place, notwithstanding
+the fact that it is a treasure-cave.  And, as to wearing any of those
+things, I would very much rather not, Dick, please.  They suggest to me
+all sorts of dreadful ideas--scenes of violence and bloodshed, the
+sacking and burning of towns, the murder of their inhabitants, and--oh
+no, I could not wear any of them, thank you."
+
+"Very well," said Dick; "then I will just make everything safe here, and
+we will be off."
+
+And, allowing Flora first to withdraw into the open air, he closed the
+chests again, extinguished the candles, and, rearranging the bushes in
+front of the cave so as effectually to conceal its entrance, left the
+spot.
+
+For some time after this nothing of importance occurred to vary the
+monotony of existence on the island, Leslie devoting himself
+energetically to the important work of providing the material for and
+constructing the ways upon which he intended to build his cutter.  This
+heavy task absorbed rather more than two months of his time; for it was
+laborious work, involving the handling of heavy masses of timber, which
+could only be done with the aid of tackles and other appliances,
+supplemented by the ingenuity of the highly trained sailor; moreover,
+Leslie was one of those individuals who believed in the wisdom of doing
+everything thoroughly well at first rather than incur the risk of being
+obliged to undo much of his work and do it all over again.  But at
+length the ways were completed to his satisfaction; and, that done, the
+job of laying the keel and setting up the ready-made frames of the
+cutter in their correct respective positions and securing them there was
+comparatively simple and easy.  This occupied exactly a month, at the
+end of which time the completed skeleton of the cutter stood revealed
+upon the stocks, to Dick's supreme gratification and Flora's wonder and
+admiration.  And, indeed, Leslie had ample cause to be both satisfied
+and delighted; for this completed skeleton displayed the form of a
+remarkably handsome boat, possessed of exceptionally fine flowing lines,
+with a keen entrance and a perfectly clean delivery, yet with a
+splendidly powerful mid-section, and a depth of hull that promised great
+weatherliness with an ample sufficiency of freeboard.  It was evident
+that her design had emanated from the drawing-board of a naval architect
+of quite unusual ability, for her shape seemed to promise the speed of
+the racer with the seaworthiness of the cruiser; indeed, as Dick was
+never tired of asserting, she could not have been more perfectly
+suitable for his purpose had she been specially designed for it.  "Give
+me another hand to keep watch and watch with me, and I'll take her round
+the world!" he was wont to declare, when summing up the good points of
+the craft.  It was at this stage of affairs, namely, when the skeleton
+framework of the cutter had been completely set up, and Leslie was
+preparing to commence the task of planking-up, that, upon emerging from
+the tent one morning after breakfast to wend his way down to the
+shipyard, he was amazed to see a cloud of smoke rising from the now
+partially dismembered hull of the brig, followed, even as he gazed
+incredulously, by an outburst of flame.  Rushing back to the tent for
+the telescope, he brought the instrument to bear upon the craft, and
+then discovered that not only was she on fire, but also that there was a
+boat or canoe of some sort alongside her, and a moment later he saw a
+party of natives on board her!
+
+He stamped his foot on the ground with anger and vexation.  Natives
+again, and this time in the form of wanton marauders; for he had no
+doubt that they had been plundering the wreck, and, having secured all
+that they required or could carry away, had maliciously set fire to her.
+And who were they, and where had they come from?  Were they Cuffy and
+Sambo, returned to the island with a party of friends for the purpose of
+securing possession of some intensely coveted object--as seemed more
+than probable--or were they strangers, who had come upon the island
+accidentally?  This last was scarcely probable, for there had been no
+bad weather to blow them out to sea, and the nearest land was so far
+distant that, assuming them to have come from it, they would scarcely
+have adventured the passage across so wide a stretch of ocean on mere
+speculation.  At all events, let them be whom they might, and no matter
+where they came from, they must be driven off; for the presence of a
+party of strange natives upon the island constituted an intolerable
+menace that must at once be put an end to.
+
+These reflections flashed through Leslie's brain even as he lowered the
+telescope from his eye, and, calling to Flora, he pointed out to her the
+burning brig, saying--
+
+"Look at that, sweetheart!  The poor old _Mermaid_ is on fire, and we
+are about to see the last of her.  That, however, is not a matter of
+very great moment, for I believe I have got out of her practically
+everything that I need; the point that is of importance is that she has
+been set on fire, either wilfully or accidentally, by a party of
+natives, who are at this moment on board her.  There are some ten or a
+dozen of them, so far as I can make out, and it seems pretty clear that
+they have come here on a looting expedition, organised, as likely as
+not, by those fellows Sambo and Cuffy, who seized the opportunity of my
+absence from the camp, in search of you, when you met with your accident
+at the treasure-cave, to return to their own island, taking along with
+them a few unconsidered trifles.  Doubtless they have now been helping
+themselves again; and, although it is unlikely that they have taken
+anything of real value, I will not have them paying marauding visits to
+this island.  They cannot again loot the brig, it is true, for they have
+set fire to her, and she must now burn until she burns herself out; but,
+unless I can very effectually convince them of the folly of such a
+proceeding, we shall next have a small army of savages descending upon
+the island itself, for the purpose of looting the camp, which will mean
+a big fight, involving heavy loss of life to them, and ending in my
+death and your captivity.  Such a contingency as that will not bear
+thinking of; I am therefore about to go out to them and induce them, one
+way or another, to clear out.  In plain language, I am going to drive
+them out to sea; and if harm comes to them, they will only have
+themselves to thank for it.  They came here with a dishonest purpose,
+and they must take the consequences.  You will, of course, remain here,
+with Sailor to take care of you.  And do not be anxious if I do not
+return for a few hours; I intend to drive them so far to sea that they
+will find some difficulty in returning, especially as they must be
+fairly tired already with their long paddle to windward.  And now
+good-bye, dear; I want to get afloat in time to prevent them from
+landing."
+
+"Good-bye, Dick dear," answered Flora.  "Be sure that you take the
+utmost care of yourself, and do not be away any longer than is
+absolutely necessary.  I shall be anxious until you return."
+
+"Ah, but that is just what you must not be," exclaimed Leslie, as he
+buckled on a belt containing two fully loaded revolvers, and began to
+stuff packets of ammunition into his pockets.  Then, seizing a brace of
+Winchester repeating rifles from a rack in the corner of the tent, he
+started on a run for the beach, loading his rifle as he ran, for he saw
+that the blacks were in the act of leaving the brig.
+
+Leaping aboard the catamaran, Dick cast off and made sail with all
+speed, for it looked as though the blacks meditated attempting a
+landing.  As soon, however, as they saw the strange craft beating off to
+meet them, and making short tacks to keep between them and the beach,
+they whisked the canoe round and paddled desperately for the channel,
+with the catamaran in full chase.
+
+The canoe--a big, wholesome-looking craft, propelled by ten paddles--
+reached the channel first, with a lead of about three-quarters of a
+mile, and at once, upon fairly reaching the open sea, headed away to the
+south-east, or dead to windward, her occupants having already apparently
+grasped the fact that the catamaran could only progress in the same
+direction by following a zigzag course.  It was Leslie's intention to
+turn them, if possible, and drive them round the southern extremity of
+the reef, and so to leeward, reckoning upon the fact that they must
+already be considerably exhausted by their long paddle of something over
+one hundred miles to windward, and believing that if he could drive them
+far enough beyond the lee of the island to get them fairly into the full
+run of the sea and the full strength of the trade wind on that side,
+they would be in no mood or condition to paddle up to windward again; he
+therefore made a long board to the eastward on clearing the channel,
+hoping that on the next tack he would be able to near them sufficiently
+to execute the desired manoeuvre.  But, to his disgust, upon getting
+into their wake, he found that he had gained upon them little or
+nothing, while they continued to paddle with a vigour that spoke well
+for their endurance.
+
+Leslie now tacked again to the eastward, standing on until he could only
+see the canoe when she and the catamaran topped the back of a swell
+together, when he again hove about.  Twenty minutes later he once more
+crossed the wake of the canoe, and now found that he had done much
+better, having neared her to within about eight hundred yards.  He now
+lashed the catamaran's helm for a moment, leaving her to steer herself,
+and, picking up one of the rifles, took careful aim with it at the
+flying canoe, hoping to send a bullet near enough to her to spur her
+crew to renewed exertions, so tiring them out and compelling them to
+take the direction in which he desired them to go.  He waited a
+favourable opportunity, and presently, when the canoe was hove up into
+plain view, brought both sights dead on her, and pulled the trigger.  A
+moment later she sank into the trough and disappeared, but as she was on
+the point of vanishing he distinctly saw one of her occupants leap up,
+with a wild flourish of his paddle, and sink back into the bottom of the
+boat.  Then he tacked once more to the eastward.
+
+Altering his tactics now, and making short boards athwart the wake of
+the canoe, Leslie found that the chase was once more holding her own,
+this state of things prevailing until they had worked out an offing of
+about nine miles, when the catamaran again began to gain, until she had
+neared the chase to within about a quarter of a mile.  Meanwhile Leslie
+had been carefully considering the whole situation.  He was by nature a
+most humane man, one who would not willingly injure a fellow-being on
+any account, and, indeed, would go far out of his way to do even a total
+stranger a service; but there could be no two opinions upon the matter,
+he told himself--these savages _must_ be made to understand that raiding
+expeditions to this particular island were too dangerous and
+unprofitable a pastime to be indulged in.  He therefore once more opened
+fire upon them, and now in deadly earnest, his first three shots
+missing, while his fourth struck the hull of the canoe and made the
+splinters fly.  Then he scored two more misses, followed by a hit that
+extorted a shriek from one of the crew.  This last shot had the desired
+effect; the canoe bore up and headed away to the southward and westward
+with the catamaran hot in chase.
+
+With wind and sea abeam, the chased and the chaser now went along with
+considerably accelerated speed, the catamaran, however, having very much
+the best of it; and within ten minutes from the moment of bearing up
+Leslie found himself closing fast upon the canoe, and less than a
+hundred yards astern of her.  He now considered himself near enough to
+administer a final lesson to her crew of impudent marauders--who, to do
+them justice, were by this time looking scared out of their wits, and
+extremely sorry that they had ever molested him--so he put his helm
+down, hauled his fore sheet to windward, and dumped five raking shots
+into the canoe as he swept athwart her stern.  Instantly the whole crew,
+dropping their paddles, flung themselves down into the bottom of the
+craft, and buried their heads in their arms, as though they would by
+that means protect themselves from the mysterious and terrible missiles
+wherewith they were being assailed; while three white spots that started
+into view on the hull of the canoe told that his shots had penetrated
+her close to the water-line.  Leslie now held his hand, for he had no
+mind to take the lives of these savages unnecessarily; but he watched
+them carefully, nevertheless.  And presently, one after another, eight
+black heads cautiously lifted themselves above the gunwale.  The eyes in
+those heads stared wonderingly and apprehensively at the catamaran and
+her occupant, their owners evidently holding themselves ready to duck
+again at the first sign of danger; but at length, seeing that Leslie was
+indisposed to further interfere with them, they seized their remaining
+paddles--four only in number, the remainder having been lost overboard
+in their panic--and put the canoe dead before the wind.
+
+It was clear to Leslie that, with only four paddles left, the savages
+could not possibly propel their canoe to windward and return to his
+island; they must perforce go to leeward and make their way back to
+their own island as best they could.  He had therefore no more to fear
+from them--at least for the present; and he accordingly let draw his
+fore sheet and, getting way on the catamaran, tacked and bore away for
+the mouth of the entrance channel, leaving his enemies to paddle before
+the wind and sea, and find their way back home again if they could.
+
+The catamaran had arrived within about six miles of the channel, and
+Leslie was already debating within himself the question whether, after
+all, it would not have been a wiser and more prudent thing to have put
+it beyond the power of his surviving antagonists to return to their
+friends, and possibly organise a very much more formidable expedition
+against him, and whether, even now, it would not be advisable to go in
+chase of and utterly destroy them, when his eye was attracted to a small
+triangular object of brownish yellow tint that, brilliantly illuminated
+by the bright sunlight, showed up strongly against the dazzling white of
+the surf breaking upon the weather edge of the reef.  It was in shape
+like a shark's fin, but was not the same colour; it was hull down, and
+was sliding along at a rapid rate past the wall of surf.  It needed but
+a single glance to enable Leslie to determine that it was a sail, ay,
+and undoubtedly the sail of a native canoe.
+
+Sick with the sudden thought of the possibilities suggested by the
+presence of such an object just where he saw it, Dick took a hasty turn
+of a rope's-end round the tiller-head and with one bound reached the
+weather-shrouds, up which he shinned with an agility equalled only by
+the dread that struck like a knife at his heart.  In a moment he was
+high enough to get a footing upon the throat of the gaff, from which
+elevation he was enabled to obtain a clear view of the craft.  She was
+about three miles away, well to the southward of the dense column of
+smoke rising from the blazing brig, and was edging away round the curved
+outer margin of the reef, heading so as to pass to the southward of the
+island in a westerly direction.  She was too far distant, of course, to
+enable Leslie to distinguish details with his unaided eye, but he could
+see that she was a big craft, capable, he thought, of carrying quite
+forty men, she showed a very large sail to the freshly blowing breeze,
+and was skimming along at a very rapid pace.
+
+This was as much as Leslie could make out at that distance; but it was
+enough, and, groaning with dire apprehension of some dreadful evil, he
+slid down the shrouds and went aft to the tiller.  He could see through
+the whole devilish scheme now.  The gang who had set fire to the brig
+were evidently only a small contingent of the expedition, and it had
+been their duty to attract his attention and decoy him away from the
+island while the others--headed without doubt by those scoundrels Sambo
+and Cuffy--raided the camp.
+
+That, Leslie savagely meditated, was undoubtedly what had happened.
+And, meanwhile, where was Flora?  What had been her fate?  Had she
+received sufficient warning to effect her escape to the Treasure-Cave,
+which, armed with her revolvers, she could hold for hours against any
+number of savages?  Or had she been surprised?  The thought of the
+latter alternative plunged Leslie into a cold sweat, and set him to
+muttering the most awful threats of vengeance.  He had no room in his
+mind for thought of the possible extent of irremediable damage that the
+savages might have wrought in the camp; he could think of nothing but
+Flora; could only hope and pray that she might have made good her
+escape.  The catamaran was sailing as well as ever, for there was a
+strong breeze blowing, yet Leslie ground his teeth in a fever of
+impatience at what he deemed her snail-like pace; for his first business
+now must be to ascertain the fate of the girl he loved.  The very worst
+that could possibly have happened, apart from harm to her, was
+comparatively unimportant.  Yet, all the same, his mind once set at rest
+about her, he would exact a terrible penalty from those daring
+marauders; he would pursue them, ay, to their very island itself, if
+need were; while, if he caught them at sea, not a man should survive to
+organise another expedition against him.  He felt now that he had been a
+weak fool not to utterly exterminate the decoy party that he had just
+left.
+
+At length, after what to Leslie appeared an eternity of suspense, the
+catamaran passed through the entrance channel and bore away for the
+camp, a raking view of which was to be obtained as soon as the veiling
+wall of surf was passed.  To his inexpressible relief, the framework of
+the cutter still stood on the stocks, apparently uninjured; and inshore
+of it he could see the tent, also apparently uninjured.  He had been
+cherishing a sort of half hope that he would also see Flora standing on
+the beach awaiting his arrival; but she was not there, and, upon
+reflection, he was not greatly surprised.  No doubt she was still in
+hiding, and would probably not reappear until he had succeeded in making
+her aware of his return and of the fact that all danger was now past.
+As the catamaran sped along Leslie's keen glance roved anxiously over
+the various parts of the camp as they opened out, and he presently saw
+that his savage visitors had been busy with the varied items of the
+cargo that he had saved from the brig and stored under canvas, for the
+canvas cover was folded back, and boxes and bales were strewed here and
+there upon the sward.  Ah, and there was Sailor--good dog!--lying down
+on the beach close to the water-line, waiting for him.  But where, then,
+was Flora?  She could certainly not be far off, or Sailor would not be
+there, lying so quietly and lazily stretched out in the sun.  Leslie
+seized his rifle and fired a signal shot to let the girl know that he
+was at hand; but the echoes of the report pealed off the face of the
+mountain and still she did not appear, nor--stranger still--did Sailor
+leap to his feet with a welcoming bark.  What, Dick wondered, was the
+matter with the old dog?  Why did he lie there so utterly motionless?
+and what was that long thin shaft that looked almost as though its point
+were embedded in his body?  Leslie gave vent to a bitter groan; for as
+he bore up to run the catamaran in upon the beach, he recognised only
+too clearly that the poor dog was dead--slain by the cruel spear that
+transfixed his body.  And he saw, too--just in time to avoid grounding
+the catamaran upon the spot--that the sand of the beach was marked with
+many naked footprints, leading to and fro between the camp and a mark
+upon the sand that had evidently been left there by a canoe.
+
+Leaping ashore, and taking care not to confuse the footprints by
+obliterating them with his own, Leslie examined the marks with the most
+anxious care; and presently his most dreadful fears were realised, for
+plainly to be distinguished here and there among the imprints of bare
+feet were the prints of Flora's little shoes, blurred in places, as
+though she had offered strenuous resistance to the coercion of her
+captors, but quite unmistakable for all that.  Dick subjected the whole
+length of the track, from the water's edge to the boundary of the sward,
+to a most rigid examination, and at length satisfied himself that
+Flora's footprints all led in one direction, namely _toward_ the water;
+and then, with a savage cry, he went to work to prepare for the pursuit.
+For there could no longer be a shadow of doubt that Flora had been
+carried off, and was at that moment aboard the canoe that he had seen
+under sail.  Oh, if he had but known--if he had but known!
+
+His preparations were few, and did not take very long to complete.  He
+first dashed off to the tent, and, snatching the mattress and bedding
+from his bed, rushed down to the catamaran with it, and, flinging it
+down on deck, covered it with a tarpaulin.  He would certainly be out
+one night, if not two, and Flora would need something softer than the
+bare planks to lie upon when he had rescued her.  Then, returning to the
+tent, he flung into a basket all the provisions that he could lay his
+hands upon, together with half a dozen bottles of wine--there was no
+time to go to the spring for water--and this with a small case of rifle
+ammunition and a few others matters that he thought would be useful, he
+also conveyed on board the catamaran.  He was now ready to start; but as
+yet he knew not in what direction the canoe was steering, except that
+she was undoubtedly bound to the westward.  Now, there were at least
+three islands lying in that direction, and the canoe was probably bound
+to one or the other of these; but it was of the utmost importance to
+know _which_ one, for any mistake upon this point would be fatal, as it
+must result in the canoe being missed altogether.  So Leslie took a boat
+compass that had originally belonged to the brig, and the telescope,
+and, thus provided, made his way as rapidly as possible to Mermaid
+Head--as he had named the most southerly point of the island--hoping and
+believing that from the lofty cliffs of that headland the flying canoe
+would still be in sight.
+
+To climb to this point cost him twenty minutes of precious time,
+although he did the whole distance at a run; but when he got there he
+felt that the time had been well spent.  For there, some ten miles away,
+with the afternoon sun shining brightly upon her sail, lay the fugitive
+canoe, scudding away on a due westerly course, with the wind over her
+port quarter.  He cast a hurried glance over that part of the ocean
+where he believed the second canoe ought to be, and at length thought he
+caught sight of her, but could not be certain, as the light of the sun
+lay strong upon the sea in that direction.  But when at length he got
+into the field of his telescope the image of what he had seen, he found
+that it was some object, about the size of the smaller canoe, certainly,
+but floating awash.  If therefore it was indeed the canoe that he had
+already pursued, she had either capsized or been swamped, and there was
+an end of her and her crew.  He now carefully took the bearing of the
+big canoe, and, this done, at once set out on his journey back to the
+camp and beach.
+
+The return journey was accomplished in about a quarter of an hour, for
+it was all downhill.  Then, having reached the camp, Leslie hunted up
+one or two further articles that he anticipated might be useful, and,
+rushing down to the catamaran, got under way and headed her for the
+channel.  The breeze had by this time freshened up somewhat, and the
+craft heeled over under the pressure of her enormous mainsail until her
+lee pontoon was buried to its gunwale, while the weather-shrouds were
+strained as taut as harp-strings; but Dick only smiled grimly as he
+heard the wind singing and piping through his rigging; he would scarcely
+have shortened sail for a hurricane just then.  The queer-looking
+structure tore at racing speed across the smooth surface of the lagoon,
+shearing through it with a vicious hiss along her bends and a roaring
+wave under her lee bow, and so out to sea.  Leslie was compelled to haul
+his wind for a short distance after shooting through the channel, in
+order to clear the northern extremity of the reef; but he tacked the
+instant that he had room, and stood away to the southward, skirting the
+outer margin of the reef as closely as he dared and gradually edging
+away as the reef curved round in a westerly direction.  He found himself
+close in under the cliffs of Mermaid's Head about half an hour after
+clearing the entrance channel, and then at once shaped a course
+corresponding to the bearing of the canoe as taken from the summit of
+those same cliffs.
+
+He calculated that the canoe had secured a fifteen miles' start of him,
+and, estimating as nearly as he could her speed from the glimpse that he
+had caught of her as she skimmed past the reef earlier on in the day, he
+doubted very much whether the speed of the catamaran exceeded that of
+the canoe by more than a couple of miles in the hour, to which might be
+added or subtracted a trifle according to the relative merits of the
+respective helmsmen.  Knowing that in a stern-chase every trifle tells,
+Leslie steered as carefully as he knew how, and as one of the
+catamaran's merits happened to be that she would steer almost as well
+off the wind as she would on a taut bowline, he hoped that through this
+he might be able to gain a little extra advantage.  Furthermore, he had
+a compass--which it was reasonable to suppose that the savages lacked--
+and that ought to prove a further help to him.
+
+Being now, as he believed, fairly upon the track of the fleeing canoe,
+and having eaten nothing since breakfast, Leslie deemed the moment a
+fitting one wherein to snatch a meal; and this he did, steering with one
+hand and feeding himself with the other as he alternately eyed the
+compass and looked ahead on the watch for the first glimpse of the
+canoe's triangular sail, although he knew full well that several hours
+must elapse ere he might hope for that.  And, meanwhile, what agonies of
+terror and despair would not that highly strung and gently nurtured girl
+be suffering!  At the mere thought Dick set his teeth and carefully
+scrutinised the set of his canvas--already trimmed to a hair--to see if
+there was anything he could do to get a little extra speed out of his
+flying craft.
+
+Meanwhile the sun slowly declined in the western sky, and finally sank,
+in a blaze of purple and crimson and gold, beneath the horizon; the
+glowing tints quickly faded to a dull purplish grey, a star suddenly
+glittered in the eastern sky, and was quickly followed by another and
+another, and two or three more, until the entire dome of heaven was
+spangled with them, and night was upon the solitary voyager.  Dick lit
+the lantern that he had brought with him, and so arranged it that its
+light should fall upon the compass card, lit his pipe, and set himself
+to the task of endeavouring to work out a scheme for the recovery of his
+sweetheart without injury to her or--what was of almost as much
+importance, so far as her ultimate safety was concerned--himself.
+
+It was a fortunate conjunction of circumstances that the savages had
+chosen--doubtless for their own convenience--the time of full moon for
+their raid, and night had scarcely fallen ere a brightening of the sky
+in the eastern quarter proclaimed the advent of the "sweet regent of the
+night."  Leslie's island lay full in the wake of the rising orb; and for
+nearly half an hour the catamaran scudded along within the shadow of the
+peak, which stretched dark and clear-cut far over the ocean ahead of
+her.  Little by little the shadow shortened, however, and by-and-by the
+catamaran slid over the edge of it as the gleaming disc emerged from
+behind the northern edge of the peak, and flooded the whole of the sea
+to the eastward with dancing streaks of glittering liquid silver.
+
+It was about a quarter of an hour later that, as the catamaran rose upon
+the back of a somewhat higher swell than usual, Leslie's quick eye
+caught a momentary glimpse of a tiny white gleaming point straight
+ahead; and his heart leaped with joy, for he knew that what he had seen
+was the upper tip of the canoe's triangular sail.  Greedily he watched
+for its next appearance, rejoicing meanwhile in the knowledge that the
+shadowed sides of his own sails were turned toward the flying canoe, and
+that behind them again loomed up the dark background of the peak; it
+would consequently need very sharp eyes--even though they should be
+those of a savage--to descry them.
+
+For twenty minutes or so following upon the first sighting of the chase
+Leslie was able to catch only brief intermittent glimpses of the sail,
+as one or the other of the flying craft was swept up on the crest of a
+swell, but by the end of that time he had so far gained upon the canoe
+that even when they both sank into the trough together he was still able
+to see the upper part of the sail, while when both lifted simultaneously
+he could see the whole of it, right down to the foot, and even
+occasionally a glimpse of the heads of the savages; he estimated,
+therefore, that he had closed the chase to within a distance of about a
+mile.
+
+Another quarter of an hour passed, at the expiration of which the canoe
+was in full view, and Leslie now took the two repeating rifles with
+which he had provided himself, and carefully loaded them both.  But he
+had no intention of opening fire at long range, the motion of both craft
+was so lively that in the uncertain light of the moon accurate shooting
+would only be possible at a range of about a hundred yards, or less, and
+he was so fearful of the possibility of injury to Flora that he was
+quite determined not to shoot until he could make absolutely sure of his
+mark.
+
+And now he suddenly became aware that he was no longer gaining nearly as
+rapidly as before upon the chase; indeed there were moments when he
+doubted whether he was gaining at all.  For a few minutes he was puzzled
+how to account for this--for the breeze was still as fresh as ever,
+indeed he was rather inclined to believe that, if anything, it was
+slightly freshening--but presently, as he watched the canoe, he detected
+a kind of rhythmical glinting appearance on each side of her; and then
+the explanation occurred to him.  His presence, and the fact that he was
+in pursuit, had at last been discovered by the savages, and they were
+now endeavouring to increase their speed by paddling.  "Well," thought
+Dick, grimly, "let them paddle, if they will; at the speed at which that
+canoe is travelling they will be obliged to expend a great deal of
+strength to perceptibly increase it, and they _must_ tire sooner or
+later.  They may succeed in prolonging the chase somewhat, but I shall
+catch them, all the same."
+
+But now a new cause for anxiety on Dick's part arose, for presently--
+whether in consequence of some subtle clearing of the atmosphere, or
+because of the gradual change of the moon's position in the heavens--the
+island that Dick knew lay somewhere ahead, and for which the canoe was
+obviously steering, suddenly loomed up ahead with such startling
+distinctness that Leslie feared that they must be very much nearer to it
+than was actually the case; and as the time sped on without bringing him
+very appreciably nearer to the chase, he became haunted by a dread lest
+the fleeing savages should after all reach the shore and gain the
+assistance of their friends before he could overtake them.
+
+At length, however, he found that he was once more creeping up to the
+canoe, despite the fact that her occupants were still paddling
+apparently as vigorously as ever; it was obvious that, notwithstanding
+appearances, their long spell of exceptional exertion was telling upon
+them, and, consciously or unconsciously, they were gradually relaxing
+their efforts.  Slowly, and foot by foot, the catamaran crept up; and at
+length Dick was convinced that not more than a bare quarter of a mile
+separated the two craft.  Then an idea suddenly occurred to him:
+although he was still too distant to be at all willing to hazard a shot
+at the occupants of the canoe, there was no particular reason why he
+should not fire at the _sail_; he had with him an ample supply of
+ammunition, and a few lucky shots through it might cause the sail to
+split; nay, there was even the possibility that he might succeed in
+bringing it down altogether.  Accordingly, planting himself firmly on
+the deck to leeward of the tiller, with the latter just pressing
+sufficiently against his left hip to keep the catamaran going straight
+and prevent her from broaching-to, he took one of the rifles in his
+hand, and, determining to devote himself entirely to the effort to bring
+down the sail, sighted the weapon to four hundred yards, raised it to
+his shoulder, and aiming carefully at the mast of the canoe, waited
+until he had got both sights dead on it, when he instantly pressed the
+trigger.  He was still too far distant to be able to see the result of
+the shot, but he was inclined to believe that he had scored a hit
+somewhere, for he distinctly heard a loud shout that seemed to carry in
+it a note of alarm.  Again, patiently waiting his chance, he fired; and
+this time he really fancied he saw some chips fly from the mast, close
+to the sling of the yard, at which point he was persistently aiming.
+Encouraged by this possible success, and still more by the fact that he
+was now distinctly overhauling the canoe, Leslie maintained a slow,
+careful, and deliberate fire upon her, always aiming for the same spot;
+and at length, at about the ninth shot, down dropped the yard into the
+canoe, to his mingled surprise and gratification, the fall of the sail
+eliciting a tremendous hullabaloo from the excited and astonished
+savages.
+
+In the extremity of their consternation the flying raiders seemed unable
+to make up their minds what to do, and for a few minutes all was
+confusion aboard the canoe, during which the catamaran swept up to her
+hand over hand until the two craft were abreast, Dick taking the
+precaution to keep some fifty yards of water between him and the canoe,
+as he fully expected to be received with a shower of spears.  Nor was he
+disappointed; for, as he ranged up alongside, the natives as one man
+rose to their feet, and in an instant some thirty spears were hurtling
+toward him.  He had probably never been much nearer death than he was at
+that moment, for the spears flew all round him, one of them actually
+sweeping the cap off his head; but he remained untouched.  Leslie at
+once raised his rifle to his shoulder, and selecting as a mark the
+individual who wielded the steering-paddle--in whom he instantly
+recognised the ci-devant Cuffy, with Sambo standing next to him--fired.
+The savage flung up his arms, staggered for a moment, and then fell
+backward overboard.  Then, as the catamaran swept ahead, he caught a
+glimpse of something white lying in the stern of the canoe that he knew
+must be Flora's white-clothed body.
+
+Quick as thought Leslie recharged both rifles, and hauling his wind,
+shot athwart the bows of the canoe; then he tacked, and, shaping a
+course that would enable him to cross the canoe's stern at a distance of
+about eighty yards, hauled his fore sheet to windward, checking the way
+of the catamaran and allowing her to cross quite slowly.  Then he once
+more raised his rifle, and pointed it at Sambo.  But the tragic fate of
+Cuffy had already produced its effect upon the now thoroughly terrified
+savages, who by this time realised that to remain in the canoe was but
+to court death.  Yet what else could they do?  There was but one
+alternative, and that was--to jump overboard, and trust to their ability
+to swim to the island that loomed ghostly in the moonlight ahead.  And
+this they did, one after the other--the laggards being stimulated by
+another shot or two from Leslie's rifle--until the canoe, a fine big
+craft of about five feet beam and forty feet long, fitted with an
+outrigger, was empty of savages.  Then, without troubling himself
+particularly as to what was likely to become of his beaten foes, Leslie
+gibed over, and shot alongside the canoe, jumping into her with the end
+of a rope that he had already made fast on board the catamaran.  This
+rope's-end he deftly threw in the form of a half-hitch round the
+quaintly carved figure-head of the canoe, taking the end aft and making
+it fast round the heel of the mast, thus effectually securing the craft
+to the catamaran in a manner convenient for the towage of the former.
+This done, he strode aft, until he came to where Flora lay.  And his
+blood rose to boiling-point as he bent over her; for he saw that not
+only had she been gagged, but that she had also been bound hand and foot
+so cruelly tight that she must have endured hours of untold agony.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
+
+THE DRIFTING RAFT.
+
+Without losing an instant Leslie whipped out his knife, and with a few
+strokes of its keen blade freed the unfortunate girl from her bonds;
+then, without saying a word to her, or wasting time in asking questions,
+he raised her tenderly in his arms, and, hauling the canoe alongside the
+catamaran, carried her aboard the latter and gently laid her upon the
+mattress that he had brought along with him for her especial benefit.
+The girl was practically in a state of collapse from her protracted
+sufferings; but by pouring a little brandy between her lips, and gently
+chafing her limbs where they had been compressed by the tightly drawn
+bonds, and thus restoring the arrested circulation of the blood, he at
+length brought her back to a sense of her surroundings.  And then, as
+might have been expected, as soon as she fully realised that she had
+been rescued, and that she had nothing further to fear from her late
+captors, her tensely strained nerves suddenly gave way and she broke
+into a passion of weeping so violent that it thoroughly alarmed Leslie,
+who, poor ignorant creature, knew not what to do.  Therefore, in the
+extremity of his ignorance, he did the very best thing possible; that is
+to say, he took her into his arms and soothed her with many tender and
+loving words.  And as soon as she was calm enough to eat and drink, he
+placed food and wine before her, and set her a good example by eating
+and drinking heartily himself, chattering trivialities all the time to
+divert her mind, so far as he could, from her recent terrible adventure.
+Then, when she had taken all that he could persuade her to swallow, he
+insisted that she must lie down and endeavour to sleep.
+
+The rescue of Flora having been happily effected, Leslie was naturally
+anxious to get back to the island as quickly as possible; for he dreaded
+lest the fearful shock that the girl had sustained, the long hours of
+intense physical suffering and of even more intense mental agony that
+she had endured, should seriously affect her health, and it was only on
+the island itself that he could afford her the requisite care and
+attention to ward off or battle with such a result.  He therefore at
+once hauled his wind, and, with the captured canoe in tow, headed the
+catamaran on her homeward journey.
+
+And now it was that for the first time he fully realised how strongly
+the trade wind was really blowing, for, close-hauled as the catamaran
+was, she felt the full strength of the breeze.  It piped through her
+scant rigging with the clamour of half a gale, and poured into her
+canvas with a savageness of spite that threatened to tear the cloths
+clean out of the bolt-ropes, while it careened the craft until the lee
+gunwale was completely buried in the hissing turmoil of foaming yeast
+that roared out from under her lee bow and swept away astern at a
+headlong speed that made Leslie giddy to look at.  And so furiously did
+the over-pressed catamaran charge into the formidable seas that came
+rushing at her weather bow that she took green water in on deck at every
+plunge, that swept aft as far as her mast ere it poured off into the
+dizzy smother to leeward, while her foresail and mainsail were streaming
+with spray to half the height of their weather leeches.  Leslie knew
+that he was not treating his craft fairly in driving her thus recklessly
+in a strong breeze against a heavy sea; but he had perfect faith in her;
+he had driven every bolt and nail in her with his own hands, and was
+confident that there was not a weak spot anywhere about her; and the
+excitement and tension of the last few hours had wrought him into a
+condition of desperate impatience that would brook nothing savouring of
+delay.  And, being completely dominated by this spirit of impatience, it
+was a vexation to him to find that he would be unable to weather the
+island without making a board to the southward, for as he stood there at
+the tiller the whole island--or at least as much of it as showed above
+the horizon--loomed out as a misty grey blot against the star-lit
+heavens clear of the luff of his foresail.
+
+Leaning forward, Leslie gently raised the corner of the tarpaulin with
+which he had covered Flora to protect her from the moon's rays and the
+drenching spray, and found, to his intense relief, that she had fallen
+asleep, the sleep, probably, of complete exhaustion.  Nor was he greatly
+surprised at this, for, as a matter of fact, now that the frightful
+danger was past and his excitement was subsiding, he also began to
+experience a sensation of weariness and a desire for sleep.  But this it
+was of course quite impossible to indulge just then, so he lighted a
+pipe instead, and gave himself up to reverie, steering the craft
+mechanically, with his eye steadfastly fixed upon the luff of his
+mainsail, as a sailor will, although his thoughts may be thousands of
+miles away from his surroundings.
+
+As Leslie stood there, gazing abstractedly ahead and puffing
+meditatively at his pipe, he was startled back to a consciousness of his
+surroundings by a violent shock that thrilled through the catamaran and
+caused him to look anxiously over the stern, under the impression that
+the craft had struck and run over a piece of floating wreckage.  He
+could see nothing, however, and was still staring and wondering when the
+same thing occurred a second time; and Dick now noticed that the wind
+had suddenly fallen almost calm, also that the surface of the ocean
+appeared to be strangely agitated, the regular run of the sea out from
+the south-east having in a moment given place to a most extraordinary
+and dangerous cross-sea that seemed to be coming from all directions at
+the same moment, the colliding seas meeting each other with a rush and
+causing long walls of water to leap into the air to a height of from
+twenty to thirty feet.  These leaping walls or sheets of water were in a
+moment flying into the air all round the catamaran, and falling back in
+drenching showers of spray that instantly flooded her.  They at once
+awoke Flora, who started up in affright, crying to Dick to tell her what
+fresh danger had arisen.
+
+"Oh, nothing very serious this time," answered Leslie; "It is quite a
+novel experience to me, I admit; but there can be only one possible
+explanation of it, and that is that we have just sustained a shock of
+earthquake.  If I am right in my surmise, this extraordinary disturbance
+of the sea will subside almost as rapidly as it has arisen, and that
+will be an end of the whole business.  But, by Jove, I am not so sure
+that it will be, after all," he added in quite another tone of voice.
+"Just look at that!"
+
+And he pointed toward the island, over the peak of which there hovered a
+faint glow, like the reflection upon smoke of a hidden fire.
+
+"Why, what does that mean, Dick?" demanded Flora.  "It looks as though
+our volcano had become active again; but that is hardly likely, is it,
+after remaining quiescent for so many years?"
+
+"Well, as to that," answered Dick, "its long period of quiescence
+constitutes no guarantee that it will not again break out into activity.
+And, as a matter of fact, it certainly has done so; that ruddy,
+luminous glow, hovering like a halo over the peak, can mean nothing
+else.  So long, however, as it is no more actively violent than it now
+is, no very serious harm is likely to ensue; but, all the same, I would
+very much rather it had not happened.  As it is, it is a hint to us to
+hurry up with our preparations and get away as quickly as may be from a
+region where such happenings are possible.  And now, lie down, again
+dear, and get some more sleep, if you can.  You need all that you can
+get.  And it appears that the disturbance is all over, for the sea is
+smoothening down again, and here comes the wind, once more, back from
+its proper quarter."
+
+When dawn broke, Leslie found himself within some ten miles of his
+island, but to leeward of it, Point Richard, its most northerly
+extremity, then bearing a good two points on his weather bow; he
+therefore tacked and made a board to the southward, with the object of
+getting far enough to windward to weather the reef on the next tack.
+Being now close enough to the island to get a distinct view of its
+general outline, he scrutinised it most carefully in the endeavour to
+discover whether the earthquake had seriously affected it; and it was
+with some concern and anxiety that he thought he could detect certain
+slight alterations of shape, here and there.  Not, of course, that it
+mattered to him, in the abstract, how much or how little the island had
+altered in shape, provided--but this was a very big proviso--that it had
+not so seriously affected his dockyard as to damage the cutter, or
+caused the treasure-cave to collapse to such an extent as to obliterate
+its situation, or bury the treasure beyond the possibility of recovery.
+
+Anxious now to get back to the camp at the earliest possible moment,
+Leslie was alternately watching the island and the luff of his mainsail,
+impatiently waiting for the moment to arrive when it would be possible
+to again tack to the eastward, when his eye was attracted by the
+appearance of an object some distance to the eastward and broad on his
+lee bow.  Looking at it intently, it had to him the appearance of a mast
+with a fragment of sail fluttering from it, and keen though he was upon
+reaching camp with as little delay as might be, it was impossible for
+him, as a sailor, to pass such an object without examination.  With a
+little stamp of impatience, therefore, he put up his helm and bore away
+for it.
+
+It was not very far distant--a couple of miles, perhaps: certainly not
+more; and to reach it therefore involved no very serious loss of time.
+It was not long ere he was close enough to it to enable him to make out
+that it was a raft of some sort, rigged with a boat's oar, or a small
+spar, for a mast, upon which was hoisted the remains of what had once
+been a boat's lug sail.  He noticed also that it was occupied by a
+little group of recumbent figures, whose attitudes were grimly
+suggestive of an ocean tragedy.  They were mostly lying prone upon the
+raft, with the water washing round them; but one figure was seated with
+his back supported against the little mast.  They were evidently all
+insensible, for though the catamaran was by this time quite close to
+them there was no attempt made by any one of them to signal her; there
+was nothing indeed to indicate that life still lingered upon that
+forlorn little ocean waif.
+
+Taking room for the manoeuvre, Leslie tacked at the right moment, and,
+with fore sheet to windward, slid gradually and with steadily decreasing
+way up to the lee side of the raft, which he reached just as, with the
+main sheet eased full off, the catamaran lost way altogether.  And as he
+glided up alongside the helplessly drifting fabric there came to his
+nostrils a whiff of poisoned air that told its own tale only too
+clearly.  Still, although death was so obviously present, it was
+possible that life might be there too; so taking a rope's-end with him
+he sprang on to the little structure, and secured the two craft
+together.  Then he rapidly examined the motionless figures, one after
+the other.  There were five of them altogether, and of these five, three
+were undoubtedly dead; but in the case of the other two it seemed just
+possible that life was not quite extinct, and he therefore hurriedly
+removed them both to the catamaran, and as hurriedly cast the raft
+adrift again.  Luckily Flora was once more asleep, and so escaped the
+dreadful sight presented by that little platform of broken planking and
+odds and ends of splintered timber, with its ghastly load, the empty
+water-breaker and entire absence of food on the raft telling at a glance
+the whole history of the tragedy.
+
+The moment that the catamaran was again clear of the raft, Leslie turned
+his attention to the two pitifully emaciated and rag-clad objects that
+he had rescued, and commenced operations by administering a small
+quantity of brandy to each; his efforts being eventually rewarded by the
+discovery of signs of returning animation in both.  Thus encouraged, he
+assiduously persevered, and presently one of them opened his eyes, and,
+staring vacantly about him, huskily murmured: "O God, have pity, and
+give me water--_water_!"
+
+Leslie thereupon cautiously administered a further small quantity of the
+liquid, which the man eagerly swallowed, and at once asked for more; but
+gently laying him down on his back, with the promise that he should have
+more a little later on, Dick next turned his attention to the second
+man, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing him also restored to
+consciousness.  Having achieved this much of success, Leslie now aroused
+Flora, and, briefly explaining to her the circumstances of the case,
+turned the two castaways over to her care, with instructions to give
+them, alternately and at brief intervals, small quantities of drink and
+food, while he devoted his attention to the catamaran and the task of
+navigating her back into the harbour.  Meanwhile the little raft, with
+her ghastly cargo, went driving away to the northward and westward
+before the wind and the sea, and was soon lost to sight.
+
+As the catamaran skirted close along the weather side of the reef,
+Leslie noticed that the brig had burnt herself out; for there was not
+the faintest whiff of smoke rising from the spot where she had lain.  On
+the other hand, a thin pennant of light yellowish brown vapour was
+trailing away to leeward from the summit of the peak, showing that the
+eruption up there was still in progress.  Dick was much comforted,
+however, to find that, even now, when he was so close in with the land,
+he could detect no evidences of disturbance by the earthquake on the
+southern slope of the mountain; and he began to cherish the hope that he
+would find the dockyard and camp uninjured.  And this hope became a
+practical certainty when, upon passing through the entrance channel, the
+camp came into view, and he beheld not only the tent still standing as
+he had left it, but the framework of the cutter erect upon the stocks
+and apparently uninjured.  Twenty minutes later the catamaran slid into
+her usual berth and gently grounded upon the sandy beach.
+
+First assisting Flora to step ashore, and tenderly supporting her to the
+tent--to which he welcomed her back with a loving embrace--Dick next
+conducted the two rescued men to the hut that had originally been built
+and occupied by Sambo and Cuffy, into which he inducted them, with the
+intimation that they were to regard it as their future quarters.  They
+were by this time so far recovered that both could walk, with a little
+assistance.  Leslie therefore thought that he might now venture to give
+them a light meal, with a reasonable quantity of liquid to wash it down;
+and, this done, he recommended them to lie down and sleep for a while
+after they had refreshed themselves, and so left them.
+
+As he walked from the hut down to the spot that he dignified with the
+name of The Dockyard, Leslie ruefully noted that the savages had played
+havoc with his belongings in their hurried search for booty; but as the
+havoc appeared to consist in a general capsizal of everything rather
+than in actual damage, and as the few matters that they had appropriated
+still remained aboard the captured canoe, he consoled himself with the
+assurance that, after all, there was not very much to worry about--
+excepting, of course, the terror and suffering to which Flora had been
+exposed, and the killing of poor Sailor, both of which filled him with
+bitter grief and anger.
+
+As he passed on his way he detected evidences here and there of the fact
+that the island had not escaped altogether unscathed from the effects of
+the earthquake, small cracks in the ground showing here and there that
+had not heretofore existed; and when he reached the dockyard he found
+that two or three of his shores had been shaken down, leaving the cutter
+somewhat precariously supported; but to his infinite relief no actual
+damage had been done, and a couple of hours of hard work sufficed to put
+everything quite right once more.  Then he returned to the tent, and,
+finding that Flora was lying down, he seized the opportunity to bury the
+body of the faithful dog out of her sight ere lying down himself to
+snatch an hour or two of much-needed sleep.
+
+When he awoke, which he did of his own accord, the afternoon was well
+advanced; and upon emerging from the tent he discovered that not only
+was Flora up and stirring, but that she had routed out from their ample
+store of clothing a couple of suits to replace the rags in which the two
+castaways had been garbed when rescued; and that these two individuals,
+having washed and dressed, were now sitting in the sun, smoking--Flora
+having also supplied them with pipes and tobacco--and looking about them
+with mingled curiosity and surprise.  As he approached them, with the
+view of eliciting from them the particulars of their story, they rose
+somewhat unsteadily to their feet, and while one lifted his cap in
+salute the other took his off altogether and lifted his finger to his
+forehead as he gave an awkward kick out astern with one leg, in true
+shellback style.  That they were both English Dick had already
+ascertained; he therefore did not go through the formality of inquiring
+their nationality, but at once addressed them in his and their own
+language.
+
+"Well, lads," he exclaimed cheerfully, "I hope you are feeling better?"
+
+"Thank you, sir," answered the one who had lifted his cap, "yes, we are
+beginning to pull round again all right.  And I am glad to have this
+early opportunity to thank you on behalf of myself and the bo'sun here
+for the service you've done us in taking us off the raft and bringing us
+ashore here.  You've saved our lives, sir; there's no mistake about
+that, and we're both very much obliged to you, I'm sure."
+
+"Ay, ay; right ye are, Mr Nicholls; very much obliged indeed we are;
+and that's puttin' the matter in a nutshell," supplemented the second
+man, with another sea-scrape of his foot.
+
+Leslie was agreeably surprised at these men's appearance, now that they
+had removed from their persons the most repulsive evidences of their
+late misfortune, for whereas when he had taken them off the raft they
+were a pair of perfect scarecrows, mere skeletons, dirty, and in
+rags, they now--although still of course thin, haggard, and
+cadaverous-looking--wore the semblance of thoroughly honest,
+trustworthy, and respectable seamen.  One of them, indeed, the younger
+of the two, who had been addressed by his companion as "Mr Nicholls,"
+presented the appearance of a quite exceptionally smart young sailor,
+and Leslie at once put him down for--what he presently proved to be--the
+second mate of the lost ship.  As for the other, Nicholls had spoken of
+him as "the bo'sun;" and he looked it--an elderly man, of burly build no
+doubt when in health, straightforward and honest as the day, and a prime
+seaman; "every finger a fish-hook, and every hair a ropeyarn."  Leslie
+felt delighted beyond measure at the acquisition of two such invaluable
+assistants as these men would certainly prove so soon as they had
+recovered their lost strength.
+
+"Oh, that is all right," said Dick, in response to their expressions of
+thanks; "I am, of course, very glad that it has fallen to my lot to
+render you such a service.  And it was no doubt a lucky accident for you
+that I happened to be cruising outside the reef to-day.  But for that
+circumstance I should certainly not have seen the raft, and in that case
+I am afraid there would have been no hope for you, for the raft would
+have passed some miles to the westward of the island, and your chance of
+being picked up would in that case have been remote in the extreme, for
+although I have now been here for some months I have not sighted a
+single sail since I arrived here.  And now, if you have no objection, I
+should like to hear your yarn."
+
+"Well, sir," answered Nicholls, "I don't know that there's very much to
+tell; but, such as it is, you're welcome to it.  We belonged to a very
+tidy little barque--the _Wanderer_, of Liverpool--and sailed from
+Otago--which, as I suppose you know, sir, is in New Zealand--for London
+on--what's to-day?"
+
+Leslie gave him the date.
+
+"The dickens it is," ejaculated Nicholls; "then I've lost a day of my
+reckoning!  Must have been a day longer on that raft than I thought.
+Well, anyhow, if what you say, sir, be true--and I'm sure I don't doubt
+your word--it's just a month ago, this blessed day, that we sailed from
+Otago, bound, as I say, for London, with orders to call at Callao on our
+way home.  We sailed with a regular westerly roarer astern of us, to
+which the `old man'--I mean the capt'n, sir,--showed every rag that
+would draw, up to to'gallant stunsails, and the skipper kept well to the
+south'ard, hoping to make all the easting that he wanted out of that
+westerly wind.  And I reckon that he did, too, for we carried that same
+breeze with us to longitude 115 degrees, when we hauled up to the
+nor'ard and east'ard.  Then about two days later--wasn't it, Bob?"
+
+"Ay," answered the boatswain, who seemed to know exactly to what
+Nicholls was referring, "just two days a'terwards, Mr Nicholls."
+
+"Yes," resumed Nicholls, "two days later we got a shift of wind, the
+breeze coming out at about east-north-east, and we broke off to about
+due north, which was disappointing, as we hoped to pick up the
+south-east trades just where we then were.  But we held all on, hoping
+that the wind would gradually haul round.  It didn't, however; on the
+contrary, it came on to blow hard and heavy, until we were hove-to under
+close-reefed topsails, and the sea--well _I_ never saw anything like it
+in all my born days; the _Wanderer_ was mostly a very comfortable little
+hooker when she was hove-to, but this time she rolled so frightfully--
+being in light trim, you must understand, sir--that I, for one, expected
+any minute to see her roll her masts over the side.  And after we had
+been hove-to for twenty-six hours she scared the skipper so badly that
+he decided to up-helm and try whether she wouldn't do better at running
+before it.  Well, we watched for a `smooth,' but it didn't seem to come;
+and then, while we were still waiting, a sea came bearing down upon us
+that looked as big as a mountain.  The skipper sang out for all hands to
+hold on for their lives, and some of us managed to get a grip, but
+others didn't.  Down it came upon us, looking like a wall that was
+toppling over, and the next second it was aboard of us!  I had took to
+the mizzen rigging, and was about ten feet above the level of the rail
+when that sea came aboard, and I tell you, sir--what I'm saying is the
+petrified truth--for half a minute that barque was so completely buried
+that there wasn't an inch of her hull to be seen, from stem to starn;
+nothing but her three masts standing up out of a boiling smother of
+foam.  I made up my mind that the poor old hooker was done for, that
+she'd never come up again.  But she did, at last, with every inch of
+bulwarks gone, fore and aft, the cook's galley swept away, every one of
+our boats smashed, and five of the hands missing--one of them being the
+chief mate.
+
+"Well, as soon as she had cleared herself, the skipper sang out for the
+carpenter to sound the well; and when Chips drew up the rod he reported
+four feet of water in the hold!  Of course all hands went at once to the
+pumps; but by the time that we'd been working at them for an hour we
+found it was no good, the water was gaining upon us hand over hand, and
+the craft was settling down under our feet.  So we knocked off pumping
+and, our boats being all gone, went to work to put a raft together.
+But, our decks having been swept clean of everything, we hadn't much
+stuff left to work up, and it took us a couple of hours to knock
+together the few odds and ends that you took us off of this morning.  We
+hadn't stuff to make anything bigger, and we hadn't the time, even if
+we'd had the stuff, for by the time that we had finished our raft the
+poor old hooker had settled so low in the water that we expected her to
+sink under us any minute.
+
+"Then we got to work to scrape together such provisions as we could lay
+our hands on; but by this time the lazarette was flooded and not to be
+got at, while everything in the steward's pantry was spoiled, the pantry
+having been swamped by the sea that had broken aboard and done all the
+mischief.  But it was the grub from the pantry, or nothing; so we took
+it--and there wasn't very much of it either--and also a small breaker of
+fresh water that the steward managed to fill for us, and then it was
+high time for us to be off.
+
+"It wasn't a very difficult matter to launch the raft, for by this time
+every sea that came along swept over our decks, and the job for us was
+to avoid being washed overboard.  Well, we got afloat; but, as luck
+would have it, a heavy sea swept over us just as we were launching and
+made a clean sweep of all the provisions that we'd got together, except
+one small parcel, and of course, once afloat, it was impossible for us
+to get back to the barque, even if there had been any use in our going
+back--which there wasn't.
+
+"We had managed to find one oar and the jolly-boat's lug sail, and this
+we rigged up--as much by way of a signal as anything else, for of course
+we could do nothing but drive dead before the wind.  And we hadn't left
+the barque above ten minutes when down she went, stern foremost, and
+there we were left adrift and as helpless as a lot of babies in that
+raging sea.  There were ten of us altogether, and a pretty tight fit we
+found it on that bit of a raft, all awash as she was.  It was within
+half an hour of sunset when we left the barque, and as darkness settled
+down upon us it came on to blow harder than ever, while the seas washed
+us to that extent that we could do nothing but hold on like grim death.
+
+"The misery and the horror of that first night on the raft won't bear
+talking about; and if they would it would need a more clever man than I
+am to describe 'em.  All I can remember is that I sat there the whole
+night through, in the black darkness, holding on for my life with both
+hands, with the sea washing over me, sometimes up to my neck, speaking
+to nobody, and nobody speaking to me.
+
+"The gale broke about an hour before dawn; and when the sun rose he
+showed us a sky full of clouds that looked like tattered bunting of
+every imaginable colour one could think of, all scurrying across the sky
+in a westerly direction.  And then we found that the wind had veered
+round and was coming out from about east-south-east.  As soon as it was
+light enough to make out things, I took a look round to see how the rest
+of us had weathered out the night; and I tell you, sir, it nearly broke
+my heart to find that we mustered three less than we were when we left
+the barque, the poor old skipper being one of the missing.  They had
+been washed off and drowned during the night; at least that's how I
+accounted for their loss.
+
+"Then we opened our little stock of provisions--consisting mostly of
+cabin biscuit--that we had wrapped up in a bit of tarpaulin, intending
+to put a bit of food into ourselves and so get a little strength and
+encouragement.  But when we came to open the bundle we found it full of
+salt water--and no wonder, seeing what clean breaches the sea had been
+making over us all night--so that our bread was just reduced to pulp,
+and no more fit to eat than if it was so much putty.  And our water was
+pretty nearly as bad; the sea had got at it, too, and made it that
+brackish that it tasted more like physic than water.  However, we took a
+drink all round, and tried to persuade one another that it wouldn't be
+so very long before something would come along and pick us up.
+
+"The sea took a long time to quiet down; but by sunset it had smoothened
+so far that it only just kept the raft awash and the water up to our
+waists as we sat; so, as we had by this time got pretty well used to
+being wet through, we were feeling fairly comfortable, or should have
+been if only we had had a morsel of something to stay our hunger, and a
+drain of sweet water to quench our thirst--for we soon found that the
+more water we drank out of our breaker, the thirstier we grew.
+
+"That night the steward went crazy, and started singing.  First of all
+he began with the sort of songs that a sailor-man sings on the
+forecastle during the second dog-watch on a fine night; and from that he
+branched off into hymns.  Then he fancied that he was at home once more,
+talking to his wife and the chicks, and it made my heart fairly bleed to
+listen to him.  Then, after he had been yarning away in that style for
+more than an hour, he quieted down, and I thought he was getting better.
+But when daylight broke he was gone--slipped quietly overboard during
+the night, I reckoned.
+
+"The next day was a terrible one.  Our sufferings from hunger and thirst
+were awful; and about midday one of the men--an A.B. named Tom Bridges--
+went raving mad, and swore that he didn't intend to starve any more;
+said that one of us must die for the good of the rest; and presently set
+upon me, saying that I was in better condition than any of the rest, and
+that therefore I was the proper one to be sacrificed.  He was a big,
+powerful man, and proved a match for the other five of us.  We must have
+fought for a good twenty minutes, I should think, when he suddenly took
+hold of me round the waist and, lifting me off my feet as easily as if I
+was a baby, made to jump overboard with me in his arms.  But another man
+tripped him up; and although we both went overboard, poor Tom struck his
+head as he fell, and must have been stunned, for I felt his grip slacken
+as we struck the water, and presently I managed to free myself and swim
+to the raft.  But Tom went down like a stone, and we never saw him
+again.
+
+"That adventure just about finished us all, I think; I know it finished
+me, for it completely took out of me what little strength I had left,
+and although I remember it falling dark that night, and also have a
+confused recollection of getting up once or twice during the next day to
+take a look round, I know nothing of what happened after that until I
+came back to my senses on the deck of that queer-looking craft of yours,
+and tasted the brandy that you were trying to pour down my throat."
+
+"Well," remarked Leslie, "it has been a terrible adventure for you both,
+and one that you will doubtless remember for the remainder of your
+lives.  But your time of suffering is now past, and what you have to do
+is to get well and strong as soon as possible.  Yet, even here, although
+you run scant risk of perishing of hunger or thirst, and are in as
+little danger of drowning, there is another peril, namely, that of
+savages, to which we are all equally exposed; although I rather hope
+that certain action that I felt it incumbent upon me to take yesterday
+and last night may have averted it for a time at least.  But perhaps,
+having heard your story, I had better tell you mine, and you will then
+understand our precise position--yours as well as Miss Trevor's and my
+own."
+
+To this speech Nicholls replied in effect that, having already seen a
+great deal to excite his surprise and curiosity, it would afford him
+much pleasure to listen to anything in the way of explanation that
+Leslie might be pleased to tell them; a remark that Simpson cordially
+but briefly endorsed by adding--
+
+"Same here, sir."
+
+Now, it has been said that no man can do two things well if he attempts
+to do them both at one and the same time; but Leslie proved himself an
+exception to the rule.  For he not only listened attentively to
+Nicholls' story of the loss of the _Wanderer_, but he at the same time
+succeeded in accomplishing the much more difficult feat of effecting a
+very careful appraisement of the characters of the two men whom he had
+rescued from the raft.  And the result was to him thoroughly
+satisfactory; for ere Nicholls had arrived at the end of his yarn,
+Leslie had come to the conclusion that his new companions were
+thoroughly genuine, honest, steady, and straightforward men, upon whom
+he could absolutely rely, and whom he could take into his confidence
+with perfect safety.  He therefore unhesitatingly told them the whole
+history of the loss of the _Golden Fleece_, and what had followed it, up
+to the moment of their meeting, judiciously reserving, however, for the
+present, all mention of the discovery of the treasure.
+
+"Now," he said, by way of conclusion, "you see exactly how we are all
+situated here.  I tell you frankly that I do not believe there is very
+much prospect of your getting away from here until the cutter is
+finished; although, should an opportunity occur, you will of course be
+at full liberty to leave the island, if you so please.  But, so far as
+Miss Trevor and I are concerned, we shall now, in any case, stay here
+until the cutter is ready, and sail at least part of the way home in
+her.  Now, it is for you to say whether you will throw in your lot with
+us, and remain until we are ready to go; or whether you will avail
+yourselves of any prior opportunity that may occur for you to escape.
+Whichever way you may decide, there is an ample supply of provisions and
+clothing--in fact, all the actual necessaries of life--for us all, to a
+due share of which you will be most heartily welcome.  But, since I have
+made free use of the brig and her cargo, I shall of course feel myself
+bound to make good the loss to the underwriters upon my return to
+England; and I presume, therefore, that so long as you may remain upon
+the island, you will be willing to assist me in my work of completing
+the cutter, in return for your subsistence.  Am I right in this
+assumption?"
+
+"You certainly are, so far as I'm concerned, Mr Leslie," answered
+Nicholls.  "I am not the man to loaf about here in idleness, and watch a
+gentleman like yourself working hard all day.  I'd a precious sight
+sooner be doing a good honest day's work for my grub, than take all and
+give nothing in return.  What say you, Bob?"
+
+"Same here, Mr Nicholls--_and_ Mr Leslie," answered Simpson.
+
+"Very well," said Leslie; "then we will consider that matter as settled.
+You will not, of course, be in a fit state to turn-to for a few days;
+but as soon as you feel strong enough, let me know, and I shall be more
+than glad to have your assistance.  Meanwhile, if there is anything that
+you require, you have only to say what it is, and if the resources of
+the island are equal to it, your wants shall be supplied."
+
+It appeared, however, that all their immediate requirements had been
+met; so Leslie returned to the tent, where he found Flora awaiting him.
+
+"Well, little woman," he remarked, greeting her genially, "have you had
+a good rest?  Upon my word you are looking but little, if anything, the
+worse for your adventure.  How are you feeling?"
+
+"As well as ever, thank you, Dick," she replied, "excepting that my poor
+wrists and ankles still feel rather sore from the pressure of the ropes
+with which those wretches bound me.  I have had a good rest, and
+although my sleep was disturbed at the outset by terrifying dreams, they
+passed off at last, and now I feel, as you say, really none the worse.
+But oh, Dick, it was an awful experience, and I expect I shall often see
+those dreadful savages' faces in my sleep for some time to come."
+
+"Yes," assented Dick, "I fear you will.  But you must try as hard as you
+can to forget your terror, dear; remembering that we are now two good
+men stronger than we were before, and that after the lesson I have given
+the natives they are not _very_ likely to repeat their experiment in a
+hurry.  And now, if you think you can bear to talk about it, I should
+like to learn just what happened after I left you."
+
+"Well," said Flora, "there really is not very much to tell.  I stood on
+the beach and watched you until you passed out through the channel, and
+disappeared behind the wall of surf; and then, accompanied by dear old
+Sailor--by the way, Dick, what has become of the dear old dog?  I have
+not seen him since I returned; and I am afraid the poor fellow was
+hurt."
+
+"Sweetheart," answered Dick, gently, "he did the utmost that a faithful
+friend can do; he died in your defence, and I have buried him."
+
+"Dear old Sailor!" exclaimed the girl, the tears springing to her eyes
+at the intelligence of his death, "he fought bravely.  I shall never
+forget him."  She sat silent for a while, with her handkerchief to her
+eyes, and presently resumed--
+
+"As I was saying, I walked back toward the tent, Sailor, as usual,
+keeping close beside me.  I was within half a dozen yards of the tent
+when the dog suddenly stopped dead, growling savagely.  `Why, what is
+the matter, Sailor?'  I said, patting him.  He looked up at me for an
+instant, still growling, and his coat bristling with anger; then, with a
+quick yelp of fury he dashed off and darted behind the tent, and the
+next instant there was a dreadful outcry, mingled with the fierce
+barking and snarling of the dog.  I was absolutely petrified with
+terror, for you were away, and already far beyond the reach of any sound
+or signal that I could make, while I was left alone on the island with I
+knew not who or what.  Then the thought came to me to make a dash for
+the tent, and get the pistol that you gave me to practise with; but
+before I could carry out my idea, a perfect swarm of blacks, headed by
+Sambo and Cuffy, rushed out from behind the tent--with Sailor in the
+midst of them, fighting furiously; and in an instant I turned and ran
+for the beach, with them in pursuit.
+
+"I have not the faintest idea what I intended to do; my one thought was
+to keep out of their clutches as long as possible; but, of course, I was
+almost instantly overtaken and seized, and my hands held behind me by
+Sambo, while Cuffy stood before me threatening me with a spear.  Then,
+while some of the natives went off to the stack of stores and began to
+`overhaul' them, as you call it, others disappeared in the direction of
+Mermaid Head.
+
+"It was a horrible sensation, and made me deadly sick to feel myself
+actually in the clutches of those dreadful natives, and to see the look
+in Cuffy's eyes as he stood before me brandishing his spear in my face;
+but worse was yet to come, for presently one of the wretches came up
+with some pieces of rope in his hand, and then they bound my hands and
+feet together, rendering me absolutely helpless, as you found me.
+
+"I suppose it would be about a quarter of an hour after this--although
+it seemed very much longer--when the second party of natives returned
+with a canoe, into which they flung me most unceremoniously; and then
+they all went off together, leaving me alone and so tightly bound that I
+was soon enduring agonies of torment.  I bore the pain for perhaps an
+hour, and then I must have swooned, for I knew no more until I recovered
+my senses in your dear arms, and knew that you had saved me.  Oh,
+Dick--"
+
+Then she suddenly broke down again, and sobbed so violently and clung to
+Leslie in such a frantic paroxysm of terror that poor Dick became
+thoroughly alarmed, and, in his distraction, could do nothing but soothe
+her as he would a frightened child.  This simple treatment, however,
+sufficed, for the sobs gradually diminished in violence, and at length
+ceased altogether; and presently Flora arose, declaring that she was
+herself again, and denouncing herself as a poor, weak, silly little
+mortal, who ought to be ashamed of herself.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
+
+COMPLETION AND LAUNCH OF THE CUTTER.
+
+On the day that followed the occurrence of the above exciting events,
+Nicholls and Simpson being still too weak to be fit for the somewhat
+laborious work of the dockyard, Leslie determined to pay a visit to his
+treasure-cave, being anxious to ascertain whether the earthquake had
+materially interfered with the configuration of the country in that
+direction, and, if so, to what extent.  Upon learning his determination
+Flora announced her decision to accompany him; and accordingly, having
+packed a luncheon-basket, the pair set off together soon after
+breakfast, leaving Nicholls and the boatswain in charge of the camp.
+
+The day was magnificently fine, but the temperature was somewhat higher
+than usual, the trade wind having softened down to a quite moderate
+breeze; so Dick and his companion proceeded on their way in a very
+leisurely manner, intending to take the whole day for their task of
+exploration.  No very marked or important changes in the aspect of the
+landscape were noticeable until they reached the ridge or spur of the
+mountain that terminated in the headland that Dick had named Cape Flora;
+but as soon as this ridge, was crossed they saw that, for some
+unexplainable reason, the earthquake action had been much more violent
+on the northerly than on the southward side of it; so great indeed were
+the changes wrought that in many places the features of the landscape
+were scarcely recognisable, and Leslie had the utmost difficulty in
+finding his way.
+
+At length, however, they arrived in the neighbourhood of the spot where
+they believed the cave to be situated, and here the changes had been so
+great that for some time Leslie was utterly at a loss.  The surface was
+so twisted and torn, so utterly disfigured by landslides and upheavals
+of rock, that they might have been in another island altogether, so far
+as recognition of the original features was concerned.  This was far
+worse than the worst Dick had anticipated, and for a time he was in a
+state of utter despair, fearing that his treasure had been swallowed up
+beyond recovery.  Still, he felt convinced that he was in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the spot where the cave had been, and, bidding Flora to
+sit down and rest while he further investigated, he began to grope about
+here and there among the confused mass of rocks, studying them intently
+as he did so.  For upwards of two hours Leslie searched and toiled in
+vain; but at length he came upon a piece of rock face that seemed
+familiar to him, and upon removing a number of blocks of splintered rock
+he disclosed a small hole, creeping into which he found himself once
+more, to his infinite joy, in the treasure-cave, with the treasure safe
+within it.  He stayed but long enough to satisfy himself that everything
+was as he had left it, and then, emerging once more into the open
+daylight, he carefully masked the entrance again by placing the blocks
+very much as he had found them.
+
+Pretty thoroughly fatigued by this time, he made his way to the spot
+where Flora was seated, and acquainted her with his success, while she
+unpacked the luncheon and spread it out invitingly upon the surface of
+the rock.  This rock upon which they were seated occupied a somewhat
+commanding position, from the summit of which a fairly extended view of
+the surrounding country was to be obtained; and it was while the pair
+were leisurely eating their midday meal that Dick's eye suddenly caught
+the glint of water at no great distance.  Now, he knew that when he was
+last on the spot there was no water anywhere nearer than the open ocean;
+yet this, as he saw it through the interlacing boughs and trunks of the
+trees, flickered with the suggestion of a surface agitated by an
+incoming swell.  As soon, therefore, as they had finished their lunch,
+the pair made their way in the direction of this appearance of water;
+and after about ten minutes of easy walking found themselves standing
+upon the brink of a kind of "sink" or basin about a quarter of a mile in
+diameter, having a narrow opening communicating with the open sea.  It
+was a strange-looking place, presenting an appearance suggestive of a
+vast hollow under the coast-line having fallen in and swallowed up a
+circular piece of the island, leaving two rocky headlands standing, the
+southern headland slightly overlapping the northern one and thus
+completely masking the basin or cove from the sea.  The surrounding
+cliffs were about a hundred feet high, composed entirely of rock, and
+presenting an almost vertical face; but so rough and broken was this
+face, and so numerous were the projections, that not only Dick but Flora
+also found it perfectly safe and easy to descend by means of them right
+down to the water's edge, into which the cliffs dropped sheer, with a
+depth of water alongside so great that Dick could not discern the
+bottom, although the water was crystal-clear.  And so narrow was the
+opening that what small amount of swell found its way into the cove was
+practically dissipated ere it reached the rocky walls, alongside which
+the water rose and fell so gently that its movement was scarcely
+perceptible.  It was, in fact, an ideal harbour for such a craft as the
+cutter, and Dick at once determined to bring her round to this spot as
+soon as she was ready, in order to ship the treasure on board her.
+
+Upon their return to camp that evening Dick found that Nicholls and
+Simpson were making such rapid strides toward recovery that they were
+not only able to walk about with something like an approach to their
+former strength, but that they also expressed their conviction that they
+would be perfectly able to begin work on the morrow.  It appeared that
+they had been amusing themselves by prowling about the camp and
+investigating the condition of affairs generally.  It was only natural
+that their chief interest should centre in the cutter, and the probable
+amount of work that lay before them all ere she would be completed and
+ready for sea.  As has already been mentioned, her condition at this
+time was that of a completed skeleton, her keel, stem, and stern-posts
+having been joined up, the whole of her frames erected in position and
+properly connected to the keel, and all her wales and stringers
+bolted-to; she was therefore so far advanced that the next thing in
+order was to lay her planking.  This planking, it may be mentioned, was
+of oak throughout, arranged to be laid on in two thicknesses, each plank
+of the outer skin overlaying a joint between two planks in the skin
+beneath it; and every plank had already been roughly cut to shape and
+carefully marked.  All, therefore, that was now required was to complete
+the trimming of each plank and fix it in position.  The inner layer of
+planking was much the thicker of the two, the intention of the designer
+evidently being that this inner skin should be attached to the steel
+frames by steel screws not quite long enough to completely penetrate the
+plank, the outer skin being attached to the inner by gun-metal screws
+carefully spaced in such a manner that there was always a distance of at
+least six inches between the steel and gun-metal screws, thus avoiding
+all possibility of even the smallest approach to galvanic action being
+set up between the two.  And it was, of course, to the outer skin that
+the copper sheathing was to be attached.
+
+Now the planking--even the comparatively thin outer skin--was much too
+stout and tough to be got into position without steaming; and this fact
+had occurred to Simpson while prowling about the dockyard that day.  He
+had mentioned the matter to Nicholls, and the pair had at once looked
+about them to see whether Leslie had made any provision for the steaming
+of the planks; and, finding none, they had profitably amused themselves
+by sorting out, from the deck and other planking brought ashore from the
+brig, a sufficient quantity of stuff suitable for the construction of a
+steaming-trunk, and laying it aside ready for Leslie's inspection upon
+his return.  They had not quite completed their self-imposed task when
+Dick got back to the camp, and, seeing them apparently busy, sauntered
+down to the spot where they were at work.
+
+"Well, lads," said he, with a smile, "so you are getting yourselves into
+training, eh?  I am glad to see that you are making such rapid advances
+toward recovery."
+
+"Thank you, sir; yes, we're pulling round again all right," replied
+Nicholls.  "We've been amusing ourselves to-day by taking a general look
+round, and so far as we can see, your cutter--a most remarkable fine
+little boat she is going to be--is just about ready to start
+planking-up.  But we see no signs of a steaming-trunk anywhere about,
+Mr Leslie; so Bob and I have been putting in our time on the job of
+sorting out from among that raffle, there, enough stuff to make a trunk
+out of; and here it is, sir, if you don't happen to want it for anything
+else."
+
+"No," said Leslie, "I do not require it for anything in particular; and
+as we shall certainly require a trunk we may as well work it up into
+one.  That, I think, will have to be our next job."
+
+"Yes, sir," agreed Nicholls; "it looks like it.  But what about a
+boiler, sir, in which to generate the steam?  I don't see anything
+knocking about ashore, here, that'll do for one."
+
+"No," said Leslie; "and I am rather afraid we may have a hard job to
+find one.  There is only one thing that I can think of, and that is one
+of the brig's water tanks.  I had intended to bring one ashore for that
+especial purpose; but now that those rascally savages have burnt the
+craft we may find that her tanks have been destroyed by the fire."
+
+"I should think not, sir," dissented Nicholls.  "They will have been
+stowed right down in the bottom of her, perhaps; and if that's the case
+the fire won't have had a chance to get at 'em."
+
+"I really do not know whether they were stowed in her bottom or not,"
+answered Leslie; "but we will go off to-morrow, and have a look at the
+wreck.  One thing is quite certain: we _must_ have a boiler of some
+sort, or we shall never be able to get those planks into position--
+especially those about the head of the stern-post--without splitting
+them.  And I would take a good deal of trouble to avoid such a
+misfortune as that."
+
+The following day found Nicholls and Simpson so far recovered that they
+both declared themselves quite strong enough to turn-to, and accordingly
+Leslie--who, since the raid of the savages, was more feverishly eager
+than ever to get away from the island--took the catamaran; and the three
+men went off together to the wreck of the brig.
+
+They found her burnt practically down to the water's edge, and
+everything not of metal that was in her also consumed down to that
+level.  Below the surface, however, everything was of course untouched.
+But all the gear--sheer-legs, tackles, and the rest of it--that had been
+of such immense value to Dick in getting the various matters out of the
+brig, had been destroyed with her; and if any very serious amount of
+turning over of the cargo under water should prove to be necessary, he
+would be obliged to provide and rig up a complete fresh set of
+apparatus.  Moreover, there was no longer the convenient platform of the
+deck to work from, instead of which they had to wade about on a confused
+mass of cargo beneath the surface of the water, affording them a most
+awkward and irregular platform with, in some spots, only a few inches of
+water over it, while elsewhere there was a depth of as many feet.  A
+careful examination of the whole of the visible cargo failed to reveal
+the whereabouts of the water tanks, or of anything else that would serve
+the purpose of a boiler; and at length they were reluctantly driven to
+the conclusion that before the search could be further prosecuted it
+would be necessary to procure and rig up another set of sheer-legs, and
+to replace the lost gear with such blocks, etcetera, as they could find
+among the heterogeneous collection of stuff already salved from the
+brig.
+
+To be obliged to expend so much time and labour all over again was
+decidedly disheartening; but, as Leslie said, it was quite useless to
+worry over it; it _had_ to be done, and the sooner they set about it the
+better.  So they returned to the shore, and while Nicholls and Simpson,
+armed with axes, went off into the woods in search of a couple of spars
+suitable for sheers, Dick proceeded to overhaul the mass of raffle
+brought ashore from the brig, and at length secured enough blocks and
+rope to furnish a fairly effective set of tackle wherewith to equip
+them.  There was a tremendous amount of long-splicing to be done in
+order to work up the various odds and ends of rope into suitable lengths
+for the several tackles required; but four days of assiduous labour
+found the vexatious task completed and everything ready for the
+resumption of work.  Then ensued an arduous and wearisome turning over
+of cargo--much of it consisting of heavy castings and other parts of
+machinery; but at length they got down to one of the tanks, which they
+hoisted out, emptied, and floated ashore.
+
+Then came the building of the steam-trunk, which they erected close
+alongside the cutter and right down at the water's edge, for convenience
+in supplying the boiler with water; and this done, they were at length
+able to turn-to upon the important task of planking-up the hull of their
+little ship.  And now it was that Leslie was able for the first time to
+appreciate the inestimable value of the carefully prepared and figured
+diagram of the planking that the builders had so thoughtfully included
+among the various matters appertaining to the construction of the
+cutter.  For with it in his hand, all that was necessary was for Leslie
+to go over the pile of planking, noting the letters and numbers on each
+plank, and stack the whole in such a manner that the planks first
+required should be found on top of the stack, while those last wanted
+would lie at the bottom.  And now, too, he found how great an advantage
+the possession of two able and intelligent workers was to him; for not
+only were the three men able to do thrice the amount of work possible to
+one man in a given time, but they were able to do considerably more when
+it came to such matters as lifting heavy weights, twisting refractory
+planks into position, and other matters of a similar kind where mere
+brute strength was required.  Moreover, their steaming apparatus acted
+to perfection; and after the first two days--during which they were
+acquiring the knack of working together, and generally "getting the hang
+of things," as Nicholls expressed it--everything went like clock-work.
+They averaged six complete strakes of planking--three on either side of
+the hull--sawn, trimmed, steamed, and fixed, per diem; and as there
+happened to be thirty strakes up to the covering-board it cost them just
+ten days of strenuous labour to get the inner skin laid; and the laying
+of the outer skin consumed a similar period.  Then there was the
+caulking and paying of the seams in the inner and outer skins--which was
+a task that needed the most careful doing and was not to be hurried--as
+well as the protection of the inner skin by a coat of good thick
+white-lead laid on immediately under each plank of the outer skin and
+applied the last thing before screwing each plank down; all this ran
+away with time; so that it took them a full month to complete the
+planking-up and advance the craft to the stage at which she would be
+ready for the laying of the decks.  But before this was undertaken they
+painted her three coats of zinc white, and, as soon as this was dry,
+laid on her copper sheathing and hung her rudder.
+
+The laying, caulking, and paying of the cutter's deck kept them busy for
+a fortnight; and she was then in condition for the fitting up of her
+interior.  This, according to the original design, was divided up into a
+forecastle with accommodation for four men, abaft of which came a small
+galley on the port side, and an equally small steward's pantry on the
+starboard side.  Then, abaft these again, came a tiny saloon, and
+finally, abaft this again, two little state rooms on one side, with a
+little bathroom, lavatory, and sail-room on the other.  The saloon was
+entered by way of a short companion ladder leading from a small
+self-emptying cockpit, some five feet wide by six feet long, this
+cockpit being the only open space in the boat, the rest of her hull
+being completely decked over.  The saloon was lighted by a small
+skylight and six scuttles--three of a side--fixed in the planking of the
+little craft.  The staterooms, although very small, were still
+sufficient in size to enable an adult to sleep in them comfortably, and
+their interior arrangement was a perfect marvel of ingenuity, each being
+fitted with a small chest of drawers under the bunk, and a folding
+washstand and dressing-table.  This was the arrangement set out in the
+plans and provided for in the materials for her construction; and as it
+happened to suit Leslie's requirements exceedingly well, he very wisely
+determined not to alter it.  The work of putting together the bulkheads,
+lining the saloon, fitting up the staterooms, and generally completing
+her interior arrangements, was not laborious, but there was a great deal
+of it, and some of it came very awkwardly to their hands, due, no doubt,
+to a great extent, to the unaccustomed character of the work in the
+first place, and, in the second, to the confined spaces in which much of
+it was necessarily to be done; but at length there came a day when,
+after a most careful inspection of the craft, inside and out, Dick
+pronounced her hull complete and ready for launching.  But at the last
+moment he decided that it would be more convenient to step her
+lower-mast ere she left the stocks; and, one thing leading naturally to
+another, an additional day was devoted to the job of stepping this
+important spar, getting the bowsprit into position, setting up all the
+rigging connected with these two spars, and getting the main-boom and
+gaff into their places.  Then, with the remainder of her spars and all
+her sails aboard, they knocked off work for the night, with the
+understanding that the little craft was to be consigned to "her native
+element" on the morrow.
+
+The dawn of that morrow promised as fair a day as heart could wish for
+so important a ceremony; and the three men were early astir and busy
+upon the final preparations.  The most important of these was the
+greasing of the launching ways; and as Dick had foreseen this necessity
+from the very outset, he had not only adopted the precaution of bringing
+ashore from the brig every ounce of tallow and grease of every
+description that he had been able to find aboard her, but had rigorously
+saved every morsel that had resulted from their cooking during the whole
+period of their sojourn upon the island.  Thus it happened that, when it
+came to the point, he found that he had what, with judicious and strict
+economy, might prove sufficient for the purpose.  But he intended that
+there should be no room for doubt in so important a matter as this, and
+he therefore ruthlessly sacrificed almost the whole of a big case of
+toilet soap, with which he and the other two men went diligently over
+the ways, rubbing the soap on dry until a film of it covered the ways
+throughout their whole length.  Then, upon the top of this, they
+plastered on their tallow and other grease until it was all expended; at
+which stage of the proceedings Dick declared himself satisfied, and
+marched off to rid himself of the traces of his somewhat dirty work.
+
+And by this time breakfast was ready.  Then, upon the conclusion of the
+meal, all hands adjourned once more to the yard, Flora being attired for
+the occasion in a complete suit of dainty white, topped off with a
+broad-brimmed flower-bedecked hat that, under other circumstances, would
+doubtless have graced some Valparaiso belle.  Dick carried two bottles
+of champagne--the last of their scanty stock--in his hand, one of them
+being devoted to the christening ceremony, while the other was to be
+consumed in drinking success to the little boat.
+
+Arrived alongside, Nicholls nipped up the ladder that gave access to the
+little craft's deck, and attached the bottle of champagne to the
+stem-head by a line long enough to reach down to within about six inches
+of her keel.  Then he went aft and lashed the tiller amidships, which
+done, he announced that all was ready.  Upon hearing this Dick placed
+the bottle of wine in Flora's hand, and, telling her when to act and
+what to say, stationed himself, with a heavy sledge-hammer in his hand,
+at one of the spur-shores, Simpson, similarly provided, going to the
+other.  Then--
+
+"Are you all ready?" shouted Dick.
+
+"Ay, ay, sir, all ready!" answered Simpson, swaying up the heavy hammer
+over his shoulder.
+
+"Then _strike_!" yelled Dick; and crash fell the two hammers
+simultaneously; down dropped the spur-shores, and a tremor appeared to
+thrill the little craft throughout her entire fabric.
+
+For a single moment she seemed to hang--to Dick's unmitigated
+consternation, but the next second he saw her begin to move with an
+almost imperceptible gliding motion toward the water.  Flora saw it too,
+and raising the bottle of wine in her hand, dashed it against the little
+craft's bows, shattering the glass to pieces and causing the wine to
+cream over the brightly burnished copper as she cried--
+
+"God bless the _Flora_ and grant her success!"
+
+The speed of the handsome little clipper rapidly increased, and
+presently she entered the water with a headlong rush, curtseying as
+gracefully as though she had learned the trick from her namesake, ere
+she recovered herself and floated lightly as a soap-bubble on the water.
+(For although Dick had found an entire outfit of lead ballast for her,
+already cast to the shape of her hull, he had only put part of it aboard
+her, leaving out about six tons, in place of which he intended to stow
+the gold from the treasure-cave.)  The little craft held her way for
+quite an extraordinary distance--showing thereby in the most practical
+of all ways the excellence and beauty of her lines--and when at length
+she came to rest Nicholls let go her anchor and waved his hand by way of
+a signal that all was well.  Whereupon Dick and Simpson jumped into the
+canoe and paddled off to fetch him ashore.
+
+The moment had now arrived when it became necessary for Leslie to come
+to some definite conclusion as to how far he would take these two men
+into his confidence.  He had watched them both with the utmost keenness
+from the first moment of his connection with them, and everything that
+he had seen in their speech and behaviour had led him to the conviction
+that they were absolutely honest, loyal, and trustworthy.  On the other
+hand, he had heard of cases wherein men even as trustworthy as he
+believed these two to be had succumbed to the influence of some sudden,
+over-powering temptation; and there could be no question that a treasure
+of such enormous value as that lying hidden in the cave constituted a
+temptation sufficient to strain to its utmost limit the honesty of any
+but the most thoroughly conscientious man.  He therefore finally settled
+the matter with himself by determining upon a compromise; he would take
+Nicholls and Simpson into his confidence just so far as was absolutely
+necessary, and no farther.
+
+Therefore, when they all landed on the beach, after taking Nicholls off
+the cutter, Leslie invited the two men to accompany him to the tent,
+there to empty their last bottle of champagne in drinking to the success
+of the new craft.  And when this ceremony had been duly performed,
+Leslie turned to the two men, and said--
+
+"And now, lads, the cutter having been successfully got into the water,
+I find myself in the position of being able to make to you both a
+certain proposal and offer that has long been in my mind.  When I took
+you two men off your raft, and brought you ashore here in a dying
+condition, that tiny craft that floats so jauntily out there on the
+smooth waters of the lagoon was only in frame--a mere skeleton.  But you
+saw of what that skeleton was composed; you saw that it was made of
+tough steel firmly and substantially put together with stout bolts and
+rivets.  And since then you have assisted me to bring forward the little
+craft from what she then was to what she is to-day; you have seen and
+handled the materials that have been worked into her, and nobody knows
+better than yourselves what careful and faithful labour and workmanship
+has been bestowed upon the putting of her together.  Now, I want you to
+give me your honest opinion, as sailors, of that little craft.  You know
+that she was built for the sole purpose of carrying us all away from
+this island--which, I may tell you, lies well in the heart of the
+Pacific; I want you, as sailors of experience, to say whether you will
+feel any hesitation in trusting your lives to her."
+
+Nicholls laughed heartily at the question; and Simpson grinned
+corroboratively.
+
+"Why," exclaimed the former, "men have gone more than halfway round the
+world in craft that aren't to be mentioned on the same day as that dandy
+little packet!  The last time that I was in Sydney--which was last
+year--there was a Yankee chap there that had made the voyage from
+America in a dug-out canoe that he had decked over and rigged as a
+three-masted schooner--he and another chap--and they intended to go on
+and complete the trip round the world.  I don't mind saying that I
+shouldn't have altogether cared about making such a voyage myself in
+such a craft; but yonder little beauty's quite a different story.  I'd
+be as willing to ship in her as in anything else--provided that it was
+made worth my while.  What say you, bo'sun?"
+
+"Same here," answered Simpson, the man of brevities.
+
+"You really mean it?  You are both speaking in serious earnest?"
+demanded Leslie.
+
+"_I_ am, most certainly," answered Nicholls; "in proof of which I intend
+to sail with you when you leave the island--if you'll take me, Mr
+Leslie; and I don't think you are the man to refuse two poor castaways a
+passage, especially as you've got plenty of room aboard there for us
+both, and we can make ourselves useful enough to pay for our passages."
+
+"Very well, then," said Leslie.  "Now, this is the proposal that I have
+to make to you both.  I have here, on this island, snugly stowed away in
+a cave, certain valuables that I am most anxious to personally convey to
+England; and for certain reasons with which I need not trouble you, I am
+equally anxious to get them home without bringing them under the notice
+of the authorities, and the only way in which this can be done is to
+take them home _in the cutter_.  My plan is to make my way in the first
+instance to Australia, where Miss Trevor will leave the _Flora_.  At
+Melbourne I shall revictual, and thence proceed to Capetown, where I
+shall do the like, sailing thence to England, with a call, perhaps, at
+some of the Canaries, if necessary.  Now, if you have no fancy for such
+a long trip as that which I have sketched out, in so small a craft as
+the _Flora_, you will of course be perfectly free to leave her upon our
+arrival at Melbourne.  But if, on the other hand, you are willing to
+ship with me for the whole voyage, I think I can make it quite worth
+your while, for I shall require at least two men whom I can absolutely
+trust, and I believe you two to be those men.  Now, what amount would
+you consider to be adequate remuneration for the run home from here?"
+
+"How long do you reckon the trip is going to take, sir?" inquired
+Nicholls.
+
+"Um, let me see," considered Leslie, making a mental calculation.  "We
+ought to do it comfortably in about one hundred and eighty days--six
+months; call it seven months, if you like."
+
+Nicholls considered for a few minutes, and then looked up and said--
+
+"Would sixty pounds be too much to ask, Mr Leslie, taking everything
+into consideration?"
+
+"What do _you_ say, Simpson?" asked Leslie, with a smile.
+
+"Sixty pounds 'd satisfy _me_," answered the boatswain.
+
+"Very well," said Dick.  "Now, this is what I will do with you both.  It
+will be worth a thousand pounds to me to get these valuables of mine
+safely home, as I said, without attracting attention.  If, therefore,
+you will ship for the run home with me, rendering me all the assistance
+necessary to take the _Flora_ and her cargo safely to some port, to be
+hereafter decided upon, in the English Channel, I will give you my
+written bond to pay each of you five hundred pounds sterling within one
+calendar month of the date of our arrival.  How will that suit you?"
+
+"It will suit me better than any job I've ever yet dropped upon, and I
+say `done with you, sir, and many thanks,'" answered Nicholls, with
+enthusiasm.
+
+"And you, Simpson?" demanded Dick.
+
+"Good enough!" answered the boatswain, with his usual brevity.
+
+"Very well, then; that is settled," said Leslie.  "I will draw up an
+agreement in triplicate at once, which we can all sign, each retaining a
+copy; and that will put the whole matter upon a thoroughly ship-shape
+and satisfactory basis all round."
+
+Dick prepared the agreement there and then, and having read over to the
+two seamen the first draft, and obtained their unqualified approval of
+it, he at once proceeded to make the two additional copies.  All three
+were then duly signed, Flora also attaching her signature as a witness,
+and the transaction was thereupon completed.
+
+"Now," said Dick, "that bit of business being arranged, I should like to
+take the cutter round to a little cove at no great distance from the
+cave where my valuables are concealed, and get them aboard her at once,
+before her decks are hampered up with gear and what not; we will
+therefore get the catamaran under way, and tow her round.  We can leave
+the catamaran in the cove also, and walk back by way of change.
+Moreover, it will afford us the opportunity to stretch our legs a bit;
+we shall not get very much more walking exercise now until we arrive in
+England."
+
+As the three men were wending their way down to the beach, Leslie's eyes
+happened to fall upon the case of rifle and revolver ammunition from
+which he had been drawing his supplies.  It was the only case of
+ammunition that he possessed; and now, with a sudden fear that in the
+hurry of departure it might be forgotten, he said to Nicholls--
+
+"See here, Nicholls, we might just as well be carrying something with us
+as go down to the catamaran empty-handed.  If you and Simpson will lay
+hold of that case of ammunition, I will bring along half a dozen rifles,
+and we shall then be quite as well armed as there will be any need for
+us to be.  We may not want them, but, on the other hand, we _may_, and
+if we should happen to want them at all, we shall probably want them
+very badly."
+
+Upon taking the cutter in tow it was found that she towed very lightly,
+offering only a trifling resistance to the catamaran after both had
+fairly got way upon them; and in little more than half an hour both
+craft were off the entrance to the cove.  Yet so cunningly had Nature
+concealed it that though Leslie knew almost to an inch where to look for
+it, he had the utmost difficulty in finding it, and had he not possessed
+a personal knowledge of its existence, and therefore persisted in his
+search, he would never have found it.  But, after passing the opening no
+less than four times without being able to find it, he managed to hit it
+off at his fifth attempt, and, ten minutes later, both craft were inside
+and snugly moored to the rocky side of the basin, the catamaran being
+placed innermost to protect the dainty, freshly painted sides of the
+cutter from chafe against the rock.
+
+Nicholls and Simpson betrayed the profoundest astonishment and
+admiration at the singularly perfect adaptation of the cove to the
+purposes of a harbour for small craft, and could scarcely be persuaded
+to drag themselves away from the water's edge.  But when at length they
+had been induced to climb up the almost vertical face of the cliffs and
+found themselves at the mouth of the treasure-cave, their wonder at what
+they saw was greater than ever.  They uttered loud exclamations of
+astonishment when they were invited to lift one of the hide-bound gold
+bricks, and felt the unexpected weight of it; but neither of them
+appeared to have the remotest suspicion of the real nature of the stuff
+they were handling, Nicholls merely commenting upon its excellence as
+ballast, and lauding Leslie's wisdom in having decided to so use it
+instead of those portions of the lead castings that he had rejected.
+Indeed, both men appeared to regard the queer little black leather--
+bound blocks as merely something especially suitable for ballast, and
+taken by Dick for that purpose and reason alone; it was the massive,
+ancient-looking, carved chests, with their elaborate binding of rusty
+metal-work that they appeared to regard as the receptacles of the
+"valuables" about the safety of which Leslie was so anxious.
+
+They managed to get sixty of the gold bricks down aboard the cutter and
+stowed under her cabin floor that same afternoon, and by the time that
+they had accomplished this, the level rays of the declining sun warned
+them that the moment had arrived when they ought to be starting upon
+their march across country toward their camp.
+
+The broken character of the country claimed a larger share of Leslie's
+attention upon this occasion than when he had last visited the cave.
+Perhaps it was because his mind was now more at rest than it had then
+been--for the cutter that was at the former period merely a possibility,
+was now an actuality; and, more than that, already carried a very
+respectable little fortune snugly stowed away in her interior; or,
+possibly--who can tell?--there may have been some vague, unsuspected
+mental prevision that ere long an intimate knowledge of every detail of
+those curiously shapeless earthquake upheavals would be of priceless
+value to him.  Be that as it may, he now looked about him with the eyes
+of the warrior rather than the explorer, noting with astonishment the
+wonderful way in which the earthquake had split and piled up the rocks
+into the form of a natural impregnable fortress, including both the
+cavern and the basin.  There was one point, and one only, at which this
+natural fortress could be entered, and upon his previous visit he had
+passed through it twice without noting this fact; now, however, he not
+only took notice of it, but saw also that a small rampart, composed of a
+dozen or so of stones, that could be arranged in five minutes, would
+enable a single man to hold the place against an army, or, at all
+events, so long as his ammunition held out.  So strongly did this idea
+impress itself upon him that he could not resist the temptation to
+actually construct this small rampart then and there.
+
+"Stop a moment, you two," he cried; "I have a fancy for trying a little
+experiment.  Just bring me along a few of the heaviest pieces of rock
+that you can conveniently handle."
+
+And, seizing a block himself, he carried it to a certain point, and
+threw it on the ground.  Then on and about this he piled the others that
+were brought to him until, within ten minutes, he had constructed a
+breastwork of dimensions sufficient to efficiently screen one man from
+the fire of an enemy, while it enabled him, through a small loophole, to
+effectually enfilade the one only spot at which that enemy could
+possibly enter.  He flung himself down behind the barricade and peeped
+through the loophole.  The defence was now complete.
+
+"There," he exclaimed, in tones of perfect satisfaction, "if anybody
+should ever come here in the future, and require a citadel upon which to
+retreat against overwhelming odds, this is the place.  And so long as he
+can command the nerve to remain behind this barricade and maintain a
+steady rifle-fire upon that narrow gap--through which, as you may see,
+only one man can pass at a time--he will be absolutely safe.  Well,
+thank God, _we_ are not likely to need its protection, for we ought to
+be at sea on the third evening from now."
+
+The following day was devoted by the three men to the task of putting
+the remainder of the gold bricks on board the cutter; and this they
+succeeded in accomplishing before knocking-off work for the day; but it
+meant that they had to work hard and late to do it.  Meanwhile Flora was
+equally busily engaged upon the work of getting together, from the
+heterogeneous assortment of clothing that had formed part of the
+_Mermaid's_ cargo, a sufficient stock to see her through her two months'
+voyage to the other side of the Pacific.  Knowing that she was thus
+engaged, and would doubtless be fatigued by the time that she had
+arrived at the end of her day's work, Leslie was considerably surprised
+when, having traversed about half the distance between the cove and the
+camp, he encountered her; she having evidently walked out from the camp
+to meet him.  Moreover he saw at once that this encounter was not merely
+the result of a natural desire on the part of a girl to meet her lover,
+it was something more momentous than that, for there was an excited look
+in her eyes that there was no mistaking.  So, doffing his cap to her as
+she joined his little party, he said, with a smile--
+
+"Well, dear, what is it?  You have news of some kind for us, I see; but
+not bad news, I hope."
+
+"Oh no," she replied; "it is not bad news at all--at least I should
+think not.  It is simply that there is a ship approaching the island,
+and as I thought you would be glad to know it as soon as possible, I
+decided to come on and tell you at once."
+
+"Thanks, very much," replied Dick.  "This is indeed interesting news.
+Whereabouts is she, and how far off?"
+
+"She is over there, in that direction," replied Flora, pointing to the
+north-westward.  "It was by the merest accident that I happened to see
+her.  I took the fancy to go up toward Mermaid Head to gather a bouquet
+of those lovely orchids that grow in that direction, thinking that
+probably it would be my last opportunity to get any of them, and it was
+while I was gathering them that I saw her.  She is still a good distance
+away; and I might have thought that she was merely passing the island,
+for when I first saw her she was sailing in that direction,"--sweeping
+her hand from west to east; "but while I was still watching her she
+turned round, and now is coming nearly straight for the island."
+
+"Ah," remarked Leslie, thoughtfully, "this is certainly interesting, and
+I am much obliged to you for coming out to tell us.  Let us be getting
+on toward the camp; there may still be time for me to run up to the
+point and have a look at her ere nightfall."  Then, following up his own
+train of thought, he added, "If she be as far off as you describe, she
+will hardly be near enough to hit off the entrance channel and come
+inside before dark--that is to say, if she really means to pay us a
+visit."
+
+Nothing more was said upon the subject just then; but as soon as Leslie
+reached the camp he procured the telescope, and, hurrying away to the
+nearest point from which it would be possible to obtain a view of the
+stranger, subjected her to as careful a scrutiny as the circumstances
+permitted.
+
+After all, however, there was not very much to be learned about her, for
+she was about twelve miles distant, dead to leeward of the island, and
+as the sun was already dipping below the horizon, the time available for
+observation was but short.  He could distinguish, however, that she was
+barque-rigged, and apparently a very smart little vessel of about three
+hundred tons or thereabout.  That she was beating up to fetch the island
+was obvious; for whereas when Leslie first sighted her she was on the
+port tack, heading south, she shortly afterwards tacked to the eastward,
+thus--in conjunction with what Flora had already observed--clearly
+indicating that her purpose was at least to pass the island as closely
+as possible, if not to actually touch at it.  And that the latter was
+her intention Leslie had no manner of doubt; for if she had intended
+merely to pass it closely by, there would have been no need for her to
+have made that last board to the eastward; by standing on to the
+southward she would have slid down under the lee of the island quite
+closely enough to have made the most detailed observations that her
+commander might have deemed necessary.  There was one peculiarity
+connected with her that for some inexplicable reason took hold upon
+Leslie's mind with a persistence that was positively worrying to him,
+yet it was a peculiarity of apparently the most trivial and unimportant
+character; it was simply that when she tacked he noticed--with that
+keenness of observation that is so peculiarly the attribute of the
+highly trained naval officer--that her yards were swung very slowly, and
+one after the other, as though she were very short-handed, even for a
+merchant vessel.
+
+As Leslie closed the telescope and thoughtfully wended his way back
+toward the camp, he found himself perplexed by the presence within his
+mind of two strangely conflicting trains of thought.  On the one hand,
+here was a ship approaching the island, and either intending to make a
+call at it, or to approach it so closely that it would be the simplest
+matter in the world for him to go out on the catamaran and intercept
+her.  By acting thus he would be able, without any difficulty, to secure
+for his companions and himself transport to some civilised port from
+which it would be easy for them to obtain a passage to England, even
+though the barque herself should not be homeward-bound.  And that
+transport would be at least of as safe a character as that afforded by
+the cutter, while it would be infinitely more comfortable, at all events
+for Flora, should they happen to encounter bad weather.  Following this
+train of thought, it seemed to Leslie that the obvious commonsense
+course for him to pursue was to take the catamaran, go out to the
+barque, and, acquainting the skipper with all the circumstances relating
+to the presence of the little party upon the island, pilot her into the
+lagoon, with the view of coming to some arrangement for the shipping of
+himself and his companions on board her on the morrow.
+
+But against this plan there was the thought of the treasure.  What was
+to be done with it?  Would it be prudent or advisable to entrust a
+property of such enormous value to a crew of absolute strangers, of
+whose characters he would have no time or opportunity to judge?  Upon
+this point he had no doubt whatever; the answer to this question was a
+most emphatic negative.  But if--so ran his thoughts--he was not
+prepared to ship the treasure aboard this unknown barque, and entrust it
+to her unknown crew, what was he to do with it?  Was he to leave it
+concealed in the cavern that had already been its hiding-place for so
+many years, and return to fetch it away at some more convenient season?
+His recent experience of the great physical changes that may be wrought
+by an earthquake shock had already impressed upon him a strong
+conviction of the possibility that a second shock might at any moment
+bury the treasure irrecoverably; and this conviction was as strong an
+argument against the adoption of the alternative course as a man need
+wish for.  No; he felt that it would be equally unwise for him to ship
+it aboard the stranger, and to leave it on the island until he could
+return to fetch it.  If he desired to make sure of it--as he most
+certainly did--his proper course was to carry it away in the cutter, as
+he had always intended.  And as to Nicholls and Simpson, he felt that,
+despite the appearance of this mysterious barque upon the scene, his
+liberal offer to them would quite suffice to hold them to their bargain
+with him.  The ground thus cleared, there remained only Flora to be
+considered; and Dick very quickly arrived at the conclusion that she,
+and she only, was the one who could decide whether she would leave the
+island in the barque or accompany him in the cutter.  But he had not
+much doubt as to what her decision would be.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS BARQUE.
+
+When Leslie returned to the camp he found the tent lighted up, and Flora
+and dinner awaiting him.  He was tired, for the day had been an
+unusually fatiguing one; and when a man is tired he usually prefers to
+be silent.  Nevertheless, he recapitulated in detail to Flora all that
+had been in his mind during his walk home; and finally put the question
+to her whether she would rather leave in the barque, or in the cutter;
+the former, perhaps, offering her more comfortable--because more roomy--
+quarters than the latter.
+
+"What have _you_ decided to do, Dick?" she asked.
+
+"Oh," he replied, "so far as I am concerned, I have quite made up my
+mind to adhere to my original plan of going home in the cutter, and
+taking our treasure with me."
+
+"Then, of course, that settles everything," said Flora, simply.  "Where
+you go, Dick dear, I go also--that is to say, if you will have me."
+This last with a most angelic smile.
+
+There was but one reply possible to such a remark, so that matter was
+settled; after which, having lighted his pipe, he strolled over to the
+hut, to discuss with Nicholls and Simpson the unexpected appearance of
+the barque in their neighbourhood.
+
+"If she means to touch here, as I feel pretty certain that she does,"
+remarked Leslie, after he had related to the two men the result of his
+observations, "she will doubtless dodge off and on until daylight--as of
+course she cannot know the whereabouts of the channel through the reef--
+and then we can go out in the canoe and pilot her in.  Meanwhile, what
+do you two men think of doing?  Are you going to keep to your
+arrangement with me; or would you prefer to get the skipper of the
+barque to take you?"
+
+Nicholls regarded Leslie with some surprise.  "I hope, sir," he said,
+"that you don't want to cry off your bargain with us!  I've already been
+planning in my mind what I'll do with that five hundred--"
+
+"Certainly not," interrupted Dick, with a laugh; "_I_ have no wish to
+cry off my bargain, as you term it.  I merely wish you to understand
+that I will not attempt to hold you to it if you would prefer the barque
+to the cutter.  The barque would doubtless be more comfortable than the
+cutter in heavy weather."
+
+"May be she would, or may be she wouldn't," observed Nicholls.  "Anyhow,
+the difference wouldn't be so very great, one way or the other.  But
+there's no five hundred pound to be got out of the barque; and I'm bound
+to have that money, Mr Leslie--"
+
+"Same here," cut in Simpson.
+
+"All right," laughed Leslie.  "Then that matter is settled for good and
+all; so we need say no more about it."
+
+"Question is: What's she comin' here for?" inquired Simpson,
+volunteering a remark for the first time on record.
+
+"Oh, who can tell?" returned Leslie.  "She may be a whaler--although I
+do not believe that she is--putting in here in the hope of finding
+water.  That is the only explanation that has occurred to me as
+accounting for her presence in this locality--which is really a long way
+out of any of the usual ship tracks.  She is the first craft that I have
+sighted since my arrival upon this island.  But no doubt we shall learn
+to-morrow--"
+
+"Why, there she is," interrupted Nicholls, pointing.  "By Jingo, just
+look at that; coming in through the channel as confidently as though she
+had been in the habit of sailin' in and out of it every day of her life!
+And with nothing better than the starlight to see her way by.  Well,
+dash my wig, but that's a rum go, and no mistake!"
+
+It was even as he said; for while the three men stood there talking
+together the shadowy form of the barque, under her two topsails and
+fore-topmast staysail, was seen gliding into the lagoon close past Cape
+Flora--her skipper evidently perfectly acquainted with the exact
+situation of the entrance channel--and presently her topsail halliards
+were let run and the sails clewed up, the rattle of the gear and the
+cheeping of the blocks being distinctly audible to the three on the
+beach.  Then a minute or two later came the splash of the anchor and the
+rumbling rattle of the cable through the hawse-pipe, and the barque was
+seen to swing to her anchor.
+
+"Well, it is perfectly clear that the man who has charge of her has been
+in here at least once before," remarked Leslie.  "Evidently he knows the
+place quite well.  Now, I wonder _what_ it is that has brought him here;
+I would give a trifle to know.  And, of course, I could readily find out
+by taking the canoe and paddling off aboard to ask the question.  But I
+will not do that; and, furthermore, it may be just as well not to let
+those people know--until to-morrow morning, at any rate--that there is
+anybody on the island, therefore pleads take care, both of you, that no
+light shows from your hut to-night.  And I will just step up to the tent
+and give Miss Trevor a similar caution.  Good night, men.  We had better
+be stirring by dawn to-morrow morning."  So saying, Leslie turned away,
+and made his way to the tent, where he not only cautioned Flora against
+showing a light, but took such simple precautions as were required to
+render it impossible that the necessary lights in the tent should be
+seen from the barque.  Then, this done to his satisfaction, he lighted
+his pipe and, taking the telescope--which was both a day and a
+night-glass--once more sauntered down to the beach to watch the
+proceedings aboard the strange vessel.  For although he could find no
+legitimate reason or excuse for the feeling, it was an undeniable fact
+that the appearance of this barque upon the scene affected him
+disagreeably, producing within him a vague sense of unrest that almost
+amounted to foreboding.  _Why_ had she come to the island?  That was the
+question that persistently haunted him, and to which he could find no
+entirely satisfactory reply.  That her presence there was accidental he
+could not believe, else how came it that the person in charge of her
+knew so well where to find the channel giving access to the lagoon, and
+entered it so confidently, not even waiting for the daylight to enable
+him to see his way in?  And as he mused thus he employed himself in
+intently watching the barque through the night-glass, again noting the
+fact that the vessel was curiously short-handed, for her people furled
+only one topsail at a time, and--so far as he could make out--had only
+four men available for the job, instead of at least twice that number.
+Furthermore, he noticed that, even for that small number of men, the
+time consumed in rolling up and stowing the sails was quite
+unconscionable, arguing the existence of an exceedingly lax discipline--
+if any at all--aboard the craft.  He estimated that it occupied those
+four men fully two hours to furl the two topsails; and when it was at
+last done and the men had descended to the deck with exasperating
+deliberation, he came to the conclusion that, if the night-glass was to
+be trusted, the job had been done in a most disgracefully slovenly
+manner.
+
+He patiently watched that barque until all visible signs of life aboard
+her had vanished, and then he walked thoughtfully back to the tent and
+turned in--Flora having retired some time before.  But ere he could get
+to sleep he was disturbed by the sounds of a hideous uproar that came
+floating shoreward from the stranger; and, going again into the open air
+to hear more clearly, he presently recognised the sounds as those of
+discordant singing, finally recognising the fact that a regular drunken
+orgie was in progress aboard the craft--still further evidence of a
+singularly lax state of discipline.
+
+Leslie's couch was a sleepless one that night; for the fact was that,
+taking everything into consideration, he could neither account
+satisfactorily for the presence of the barque at the island, nor
+convince himself that her errand there was an altogether honest one.
+Therefore, with the first faint flush of dawn he was again astir; and
+rousing Flora and the two men, he bade them get their breakfasts
+forthwith and make the best of their way out of the camp ere the
+barque's people should have had an opportunity to see them and become
+aware of their presence on the island.  And he further gave Nicholls and
+Simpson instructions to proceed with and complete the rigging of the
+cutter and the bending of her sails, in readiness for getting under way
+at a moment's notice.  Unfortunately the _Flora_ had still to be
+provisioned and watered for her voyage; and it was just this fact, and
+the possibility that the strangers might be disposed to interfere with
+these operations, that discomposed him.  But for this he would most
+cheerfully have marched himself and his little party out of the camp and
+left it, with everything it contained, to the mercy of the barque's
+crew--whom he had already, in some unaccountable fashion, come to look
+upon as outlaws.  He gave the men the strictest injunctions that Flora
+was to forthwith take up her quarters aboard the cutter, while they--
+Nicholls and Simpson--were to camp in the natural fortress to which he
+had that same afternoon drawn their attention, holding it against all
+comers, and on no account leaving it altogether unguarded, either day or
+night.  As for himself, he announced that he would remain, as sole
+occupant of the camp, to meet the strangers and ascertain the reason for
+their visit; after which his further actions would be guided by
+circumstances.
+
+Leslie was of opinion that, after the orgie of the preceding night, the
+crew of the barque would be in no particular hurry to turn out; and his
+surmise proved to be quite correct, for although he kept a keen watch
+upon the vessel it was not until nearly nine o'clock that he detected
+the first signs of movement on board her, in the shape of a thin
+streamer of smoke, issuing from the galley funnel.  He then watched for
+the usual signs of washing down the decks, the drawing of water, the
+streaming of the scuppers, and so on, but could detect nothing of the
+kind; neither was the bell struck on board to mark the passage of time--
+two additional indications of the absence of discipline that still
+further increased his fast-growing uneasiness respecting the character
+of his unwelcome visitors.  As soon as the light was strong enough, it
+may be mentioned, he had taken a look at the barque through his
+telescope, and had read the words "_Minerva_, Glasgow," painted across
+her counter; he thus knew that the vessel was British, as, indeed, he
+had already suspected.
+
+Now, it was Dick's purpose to learn as much as he possibly could about
+the strangers, and to let them know as little as possible about
+himself--and nothing at all about his companions--in return, until he
+had had an opportunity to get some notion of their true character.  He
+had therefore determined to pose as a solitary castaway; and now, in
+that character, proceeded down to the beach, stepped into the canoe, and
+began to paddle laboriously off toward the barque.  For he knew that one
+of the first things to be done by the skipper of that vessel would be to
+bring his telescope to bear upon the island, and this would immediately
+result in the discovery of his tent, his pile of salvage from the brig,
+the hut, and all the litter upon the beach; and as it was consequently
+impossible to conceal the fact of his presence upon the island, he
+judged that the natural action of such a castaway as himself would be to
+eagerly seize the first opportunity to communicate with a calling ship.
+
+The canoe being a big, heavy craft for one man to handle, it took him a
+full hour to paddle off to the barque; but it was not until he was
+within a hundred yards of her that he was able to detect any open
+indication of the fact that his presence had been discovered.  Then he
+saw a big, burly-looking individual come aft along the vessel's full
+poop, and deliberately bring a pair of binocular glasses to bear upon
+him.  He at once ceased paddling, and, placing his hands to his mouth,
+hailed--
+
+"_Minerva_ ahoy!"
+
+"Hillo!" came the response across the water, in a gruff voice that
+accurately matched the build and general appearance of the owner.
+
+"May I come aboard?" inquired Dick resuming his paddle.
+
+"Ay, ay; come aboard, if ye like," was the somewhat ungracious response.
+
+Without further parley Leslie paddled up alongside under the starboard
+main channels, and, flinging his painter up to an individual who came to
+the side and peered curiously down upon him over the bulwarks, scrambled
+up the side as best he could in the absence of a side-ladder, and the
+next moment found himself on deck.
+
+He cast an apparently casual but really all-embracing glance round him,
+and noted that the barque was evidently just an ordinary trader, with
+nothing in the least remarkable about her appearance save the
+extraordinary paucity of men about her decks.  Under ordinary
+circumstances and conditions, at this hour all hands would have been on
+deck and busy about their preparations for the carrying out of the
+object of their visit to the island--whatever that might be; instead of
+which the man on the poop, the man who had made fast his painter for
+him, and the cook--a fat-faced, evil-looking man with a most atrocious
+squint--who came to the galley door and stared with malevolent curiosity
+at him--were the only individuals visible.  It was not, however, any
+part of Leslie's policy to exhibit surprise at such an unusual condition
+of affairs, so he simply advanced to the poop ladder, with the manner of
+one a little uncertain how to act, and, looking up at the burly man who
+stood at the head of the ladder, glowering down upon him, said--
+
+"Good morning!  Are you the captain of this barque?"
+
+"Ay," answered the individual addressed; "I'm Cap'n Turnbull.  Who may
+you be, mister? and how the blazes do you come to be on that there
+island?  And how many more are there of ye?"
+
+"As you see, I am alone, unfortunately," answered Leslie; "and a pretty
+hard time I have had of it.  But, thank God, that is all over now that
+you have turned up--for I presume you will be quite willing to give me a
+passage to the next port you may be calling at?"
+
+"_Give_ ye a passage?" reiterated the burly man, scornfully; "give
+nothin'!  I'm a poor man, I am, and can't afford to give anything away,
+not even a passage to the next port.  But if you'm minded to come aboard
+and _work_ your passage, you're welcome.  For I'm short-handed, as I
+dare say you can see; and it's easy enough to tell that you're a
+sailor-man.  It you wasn't you wouldn't be here, would ye?"  This last
+with a grin that disclosed a set of strong irregular, tobacco-stained
+teeth, and imparted to the speaker the expression of a satyr.
+
+The conversation thus far had been conducted as it had started, with
+Leslie down on the main deck and Turnbull on the poop.  The incongruity
+of the arrangement now seemed to strike the latter, for he added--
+
+"Come up here, mister; we can talk more comfortably when we're alongside
+of one another; and you can spin me the yarn how you come to be all
+alone by yourself on yon island."
+
+In acceptance of this graciously worded invitation, Leslie ran lightly
+up the poop ladder and, slightly raising his cap, said--
+
+"Permit me to introduce myself, Captain Turnbull.  My name is
+_Leslie_,"--with emphasis--"and the recital of the chain of
+circumstances which ended in my being cast away upon the island yonder
+will be so lengthy that, with your permission, I will smoke a pipe as I
+tell it."
+
+And therewith he calmly drew his pipe from his pocket and, filling it,
+lighted up.  Meanwhile his manner, language, and appearance had been
+steadily impressing the other man, who insensibly began to infuse his
+own manner with a certain measure of respect as the interview lengthened
+itself out.
+
+Having lighted his pipe, Leslie proceeded to relate the whole story of
+his adventure, beginning with his embarkation on board the _Golden
+Fleece_, and ending up with the stranding of the _Mermaid_, but
+carefully suppressing all reference whatsoever to Miss Trevor; and
+representing himself not as an ex-naval officer, but as an amateur
+yachtsman.  He was careful also to mention nothing about the existence
+of the cutter, but, on the other hand, dwelt at some length upon the
+idea he had entertained of building a craft capable of carrying him and
+a sufficient stock of provisions away from the island.  "I doubt,
+however, whether I should ever have managed it, single-handed.  But your
+arrival renders all further trouble on that score unnecessary," he said,
+in conclusion.
+
+"Well, yes," returned Turnbull, somewhat more genially than he had yet
+spoken; "there's no call for you to worry about buildin' a boat now, as
+you says, 'specially as you're a good navigator.  You can come home with
+us, workin' your passage by navigatin' the ship.  For a good navigator
+is just exactly what I happens to want."
+
+"Ah, indeed!  Cannot you rely upon your mate, then?" inquired Leslie,
+blandly.
+
+"My mate?" ejaculated the burly man; "well, no, I can't.  That's to
+say," he continued confusedly, "he's the only navigator I've got now,
+and--well, no, I _can't_ depend upon him."
+
+"Do you find, then, that your own observations and his yield different
+results?" asked Leslie, still in the same bland, quiet manner.
+
+"My own observations?" reiterated Captain Turnbull.  "_I_ don't take no
+observations.  Ye see," he added, looking hard at Leslie's impassive
+face to discover whether the latter had noticed anything peculiar in
+such an extraordinary admission, "my sight's a little bit peculiar; I
+can see ordinary things plain enough, but when it comes to squintin'
+through a sextant I can't see nothin'."
+
+"Ah, indeed; that must be exceedingly awkward for you, Captain,"
+returned Leslie.  "I am not surprised at your anxiety to secure the
+services of another navigator.  By the way, how long do you propose to
+remain here?  I should like to know, so that I may make my preparations
+accordingly."
+
+"Well," answered Turnbull, "there's no particular reason for you to
+hurry; I s'pose half an hour 'll be about time enough for you to get
+your few traps together and bring 'em off, won't it?"
+
+"Oh yes," answered Leslie, nonchalantly, "that time will amply suffice.
+I will do so at once, if you like."
+
+"There's no occasion for hurry, as I said just now," retorted Turnbull.
+"Now that we're here I think I shall give the men a spell and let 'em
+have a run ashore a bit.  In fact, I think I could do with a week ashore
+there myself.  Most lovely place it looks like, from here.  By-the-bye,
+how long did you say you'd been on that there island?"
+
+"A trifle over nine months," answered Leslie.
+
+"Over nine months!" ejaculated the other in tones of intense surprise.
+"Well, nobody'd think as you'd been a castaway for nine months, to look
+at ye.  Why, you look strong and healthy enough, and as smartly rigged
+as though you'd just stepped out of the most dandy outfitter's in the
+Minories!"
+
+"Oh, but there is nothing very wonderful in that," laughingly protested
+Leslie.  "Nine months of life, practically in the open air all the time,
+is just the thing to keep a man fit, you know; while as for my `rig,' I
+found a big stock of clothes among the _Mermaid's_ cargo, and I have
+drawn freely upon that."
+
+"Nine months on the island," repeated Turnbull, still dwelling upon that
+particular fact; "why, I s'pose you know every inch of the ground ashore
+there by this time?"
+
+There was a certain ill-suppressed eagerness in the tones of the man's
+voice as he asked this question that acted very much as a danger-signal
+to Leslie.  It seemed to suggest that thus far the man had merely been
+fencing with him, but that he was now trying to get within his guard;
+that, in short, the object of the _Minerva's_ visit to the island was
+nearing the surface.  He therefore replied, with studied carelessness--
+
+"No, indeed I do not.  On the contrary, I know very little of it--not
+nearly as much as I ought to know.  I have been to the summit once, and
+took a general survey of the island from that point, and I have wandered
+for a short distance about the less densely bush-clad ground on this
+side of the island; but that is about all.  The fact is that I was much
+too keen upon saving everything I possibly could out of the brig to
+think of wasting my time in wandering about an island the greater part
+of which is covered with almost impassable bush."
+
+"Ah, yes; I s'pose you would be," rejoined Turnbull, with an expression
+of relief that set Leslie wondering.
+
+What on earth did it matter to Turnbull whether he--Dick Leslie--had
+explored the island or not? he asked himself.  Turnbull's next remark
+let in a little light upon the obscurity, and distinctly startled
+Leslie.  For, staring steadfastly at the island, the burly man presently
+observed--
+
+"Yes; it's a fine big island, that, and no mistake.  With a mountain on
+it and all, too.  I should say, now, that that island would be a very
+likely place for _caves_, eh?  Looks as though there might be any amount
+of caves ashore there in the sides of that there hill, don't it?"
+
+_Caves_!  Like a flash of lightning the true explanation of the
+_Minerva's_ visit stood clearly revealed to Leslie's mind.  That one
+word "caves," spoken as it was in tones of mingled excitement and
+anxiety, ill-suppressed, had furnished him with the key to the entire
+enigma.  _Caves_!  Yes, of course; that was it; that explained
+everything--or very nearly everything--that had thus far been puzzling
+Leslie, and gave him practically all the information that he had been so
+anxious to acquire.  He had read of such incidents in books, of course,
+but had so far regarded them merely as pegs whereon to hang a more or
+less ingeniously conceived and exciting romance; but here was a similar
+incident occurring in actual prosaic earnest; and he suddenly found
+himself confronted with a situation of exceeding difficulty.  For the
+mention by Turnbull of the word "caves"--careless and casual as he
+fondly believed it to be, but actually exceedingly clumsy--had in an
+instant driven home to Leslie's mind the conviction that somehow or
+other this man had become possessed of information of the existence of
+the treasure on this island, _and had come to take it away_!  By what
+circuitous chain of events the information had fallen into the fellow's
+hands it was of course quite impossible to guess; but that this was the
+explanation of everything Dick was fully convinced.  And now that he
+possessed the clue he could not only guard his own tongue against the
+betrayal of information, but could also doubtless so order his remarks
+as to extort from some one or another of his visitors all the details
+that he himself might require.  So, in reply to Turnbull's last remark,
+he said carelessly--
+
+"Caves! oh, really I don't know; very possibly there may be--unless the
+earthquake has shaken them all in and filled them up--"
+
+"Earthquake!" roared Turnbull, in tones of mingled rage and
+consternation; "you don't mean to say as you've had a hearthquake here,
+do ye?"
+
+"Certainly," answered Dick, with as much _sang-froid_ as though an
+earthquake were a mere pleasant interlude in an otherwise monotonous
+life; "it occurred about three months ago, and gave the place a pretty
+severe shaking up, I can assure you.  It also started that volcano into
+activity again after ages of quiescence."
+
+"The mischief!" ejaculated Turnbull, with manifest discomposure.  "I
+must go ashore at once!"
+
+"I am afraid," said Leslie, gently, "that my mention of the earthquake
+and its possible effect upon the caves of the island has somewhat upset
+you.  Are you going ashore in the hope of finding any particular cave?
+If so, I shall be most happy to assist you in your search."
+
+"Assist!  I'll be--I mean of course not," exclaimed Turnbull, beginning
+with a savage bellow and suddenly calming himself again.  "What d'ye
+s'pose a man like me wants to go pokin' about ashore there, huntin'
+after caves for?  I've somethin' else to do.  I've come in here because
+our fresh water's turned bad, and I thought that maybe I might be able
+to renew my stock, I s'pose there's fresh water to be had on the
+island?"
+
+"Certainly," answered Leslie; "there is a most excellent supply, and
+quite accessible to your boats.  It lies over there," pointing toward
+Mermaid Head; "and falls over a low ledge of rock into deep-water.  You
+can go alongside the rock and fill up your boats or tanks direct, if you
+like."
+
+"Ah, that'll do first-rate," remarked Turnbull; "I'll give orders for
+the men to start the foul water at once.  And now, as I see that the
+sun's over the fore-yard, what'll you take to drink?  I s'pose you've
+been pretty hard up all these months for drink, haven't ye?"
+
+"No, indeed," answered Leslie; "on the contrary, I found an abundance of
+wines and spirits aboard the brig.  The only thing that I have lacked
+has been mineral waters; therefore if you happen to have any soda-water
+on board it will give me great pleasure to take a whisky and soda with
+you."
+
+"I believe we have some sodas left," answered Turnbull, doubtfully.
+"You won't mind takin' it up here on the poop, will ye?" he continued.
+"Fact is there's a man lyin' sick in one of the cabins below, and I
+don't want to disturb him with our talk."
+
+Of course Leslie, although he had his doubts about the genuineness of
+the "sick man" story, readily acquiesced in the suggestion of the other,
+and seated himself in one of two deck-chairs that were standing on the
+poop, while Turnbull retired ostensibly for the purpose of quietly
+hunting up the steward.
+
+A few minutes later the steward--a young Cockney of about twenty-five
+years of age, who had the worn, harassed appearance of a man living in a
+state of perpetual scare--came up the poop ladder, bearing a tray on
+which were a couple of tumblers, an uncorked bottle of whisky, and two
+bottles of soda-water, which he placed upon the skylight cover.  Then,
+taking up the whisky-bottle and a tumbler, he proceeded to pour out a
+portion of the spirit, glancing anxiously about him as he did so.
+
+"Say `when,' sir, please," he requested, in a loud voice, immediately
+adding under his breath, "Are you alone, ashore there, sir, or is there
+others there along with you?"
+
+His whole air of extreme trepidation, and the manner of secrecy with
+which he put this singular question, was but further confirmation--if
+any were needed--of certain very ugly suspicions that had been taking a
+strong hold upon Leslie during the whole progress of his interview with
+the man Turnbull; Dick therefore replied to the steward by putting
+another question to him in the same low, cautious tones--
+
+"Why do you ask me that, my man?" he murmured.
+
+"Because, sir, there's--Is that about enough whisky, sir?"
+
+The latter part of the steward's speech was uttered in a tone of voice
+that could be distinctly heard as far forward as the break of the poop,
+and, with the man's abrupt change of subject was evidently caused--as
+Leslie could see out of the corner of his eye--by the silent, stealthy
+appearance of Turnbull's head above the top of the ladder, and the
+glance of keen suspicion that he shot at the two occupants of the poop.
+
+Dick took the tumbler from the steward's shaking hand and calmly held it
+up before him, critically measuring the quantity of spirit it contained.
+
+"Yes, thanks," he replied; "that will do nicely.  Now for the soda."
+
+And he held the tumbler while the steward opened the soda-water bottle
+and emptied it's effervescing contents into the spirit.  Turnbull
+glanced keenly from Leslie to the steward and back again, but said
+nothing, although the unfortunate attendant's condition of terror was
+patent to all observers.  Dick waited patiently while the trembling man
+helped Turnbull, and then, lifting his tumbler, said--
+
+"Your health, Captain; and to our better acquaintance."
+
+"Thank 'ee; same to you," gruffly replied the individual addressed;
+adding to the steward, "That'll do; you can go back to your pantry now,
+and get on with your work."
+
+The fellow departed in double-quick time, obviously glad to get away
+from the neighbourhood of his somewhat surly superior; and as he went
+Turnbull watched him until he disappeared down the poop ladder.
+
+"Rum cove, that," he remarked to Leslie, as the man vanished.  "Good
+sort of steward enough, but nervous as a cat.  Did ye notice him?"
+
+"It was quite impossible not to do so," answered Dick, with a laugh.
+"And I could not help feeling sorry for the poor beggar.  I take it that
+he is the simpleton of the ship, and that all hands make a point of
+badgering him."
+
+"Ay," answered Turnbull, eagerly, clearly relieved that Dick had taken
+this view of the man's condition; "that's just exactly what it is;
+you've hit the case off to a haffigraphy.  Well, enough said about him.
+If you're ready to go ashore now I'll go with ye."
+
+"By all means," answered Leslie, genially; not that he was in the least
+degree desirous to have the man's company, or even that he or any of his
+crew should land upon the island at all.  Still, he knew that, the
+barque being where she was, it was inevitable that at least some of the
+ship's company would insist upon going ashore, and he could not see how
+he was to prevent them; meanwhile, it was much better to have the fellow
+alone with him than accompanied by half a dozen or more of his men.
+
+As he spoke he rose from his seat and led the way toward the canoe,
+Turnbull following him.  Upon reaching the gangway, however, Dick looked
+over the side, and then, turning to his companion, said--
+
+"I think you would find it more convenient if your people rigged the
+side-ladder.  My canoe is rather crank, and if you should happen to
+tumble overboard in getting into her I would not answer for your life;
+the lagoon swarms with sharks, and as likely as not there are one or two
+under the ship's bottom at this moment."
+
+Turnbull grunted and turned away, looking forward to where two or three
+men were loafing about on the forecastle, hard at work doing nothing.
+
+"For'ard, there!" he shouted; "rouse out the side-ladder and rig it,
+some of ye, and look sharp about it.  Steward," he added, turning toward
+the cabin under the poop, "bring me out a handful of cigars."
+
+The two men with the ladder, and the steward with the cigars, appeared
+simultaneously; and, pocketing the weeds, the skipper proceeded to the
+gangway to supervise the rigging of the ladder.  As he did so, Leslie
+felt something being thrust surreptitiously into his hand.  It felt like
+a folded piece of paper, and he calmly pocketed it, glancing casually
+about him as he did so.  The steward was the only man near him, and he
+was shuffling off nimbly on his way back to his pantry.
+
+Leslie took his time paddling ashore, and when at length the pair landed
+on the beach the sun had passed the meridian.
+
+"Now, Captain," said Dick, "where would you like to go in the first
+place?"
+
+Turnbull stood and looked about him admiringly.  "Why," he exclaimed,
+"this here hisland is a real beautiful place, and no mistake.  Dash my
+wig! why, a man might do a sight worse than settle here for the rest of
+his natural, eh?"
+
+"Ay," answered Leslie, indifferently; "I have often thought so myself.
+Indeed it is quite on the cards that I may return here some day, with a
+few seeds and an outfit of gardeners' tools.  As you say, a man might do
+worse.  By the way, perhaps it will be as well to get lunch before we
+start out on our ramble.  Will you come up to my tent?  You will find it
+a very comfortable little shanty.  I must apologise for the fare that I
+shall be obliged to offer you, but I have lived on tinned meat and fish
+ever since I have been here; and I have caught no fish to-day."
+
+"Well, I must say as you've managed to make yourself pretty tidy
+comfortable," observed Leslie's guest as he entered the tent and stared
+about him in astonishment; "picters, fancy lamps, tables and chairs with
+swagger cloths and jigmarees upon 'em, and a brass-mounted bedstead and
+beddin' fit for a king!  They're a blame sight better quarters than
+you'll find aboard the _Minerva_, and so I tell ye."
+
+Leslie laughed lightly.  "What does that matter?" he demanded.  "True, I
+am fond of comfort, and always make a point of getting it where I can;
+but I can rough it with anybody when it becomes necessary."
+
+Dick was obliged to leave his guest alone in the tent for a short time
+while he looked after the preparations for luncheon; and he had little
+doubt that during his absence the man would without scruple peer and pry
+into the other compartments of the tent.  But to this contingency he was
+quite indifferent, for he had foreseen and forestalled it, before going
+off to the barque, by carefully gathering up and stowing away such few
+traces of a woman's presence as Flora had left behind her.  That
+Turnbull had followed the natural propensity of men of his stamp was
+made clear immediately upon Dick's return, for, quite unabashed, the
+fellow remarked--
+
+"I say, mister, you're doin' the thing in style here, and no mistake.
+I've been havin' a look round this here tent of yourn while you've been
+away, and I see as you've acshully got a pianner in the next room.  And
+where's your shipmate gone to?"
+
+"My shipmate?" repeated Leslie, staring blankly at him.
+
+"Ay, your shipmate," reiterated Turnbull, severely.  "You told me you
+was all alone here, but I see as you've got _two_ bedrooms rigged up
+here.  Who's t'other for, and where is he?"
+
+"Really, Captain," said Dick, coldly, "I cannot see what possible
+difference it can make to you whether I have a shipmate or not, if you
+will pardon me for saying so.  But," he continued, somewhat more
+genially, "it is perfectly evident that you have never lived alone on an
+island, or you would understand what a luxury it is to be able to change
+one's sleeping-room occasionally."
+
+"Oh, that's it, is it?" returned Turnbull, with sudden relief.  "You
+sleeps sometimes in one bed and sometimes in t'other, by way of a
+change, eh?"
+
+"As you see," answered Dick, briefly.  "And now, will you draw up your
+chair?  It is not a very tempting meal that I can offer you; but you can
+make up for it when you return to your ship this evening."
+
+It was evident to Leslie that Turnbull was much exercised in his mind
+about something, for he ate and drank silently and with a preoccupied
+air; and later on the reason for this became manifest, for when at
+length they rose from the table the fellow remarked with a clumsy effort
+at nonchalance--
+
+"Look here, mister, I expect you've a plenty of matters to look after
+and attend to, so don't you worry about showin' me round this here
+hisland of yourn; you just go on with what you've got in hand, and I'll
+take a stroll somewheres by myself."
+
+So that was it.  He wanted an opportunity to go off upon an exploring
+expedition unrestrained by Dick's presence!  But this did not at all
+chime in with Leslie's plans; for he felt certain that if he yielded to
+his companion's suggestion the latter would at once make his way in the
+direction of the treasure-cave, and endeavour to discover its locality,
+with the result that he would inevitably come into collision with
+Nicholls and Simpson.  This, in any case, would doubtless happen, sooner
+or later; but Dick wished to acquire a little further information before
+it occurred.  He therefore replied--
+
+"Oh, thanks, very much.  I was busy enough, in all conscience, before
+you arrived; but now that you have turned up, and have kindly consented
+to take me off the island, I have nothing further to do.  So I may as
+well accompany you, since I know the shortest way to such few points of
+interest as the island possesses.  Where would you like to go?  The
+crater and the watering-place are about the only spots that are likely
+to tempt you, I think."
+
+Turnbull glared at Dick as though he could have eaten him; and for a
+moment the ex-lieutenant thought that his guest was about to try violent
+measures with him.  But if that thought was really in his mind he
+suffered more prudent counsels to prevail with him, and, after a few
+moments' hesitation, intimated that he would like to have a look at the
+watering-place.  Dick accordingly piloted his morose companion to the
+spot, and pointed out how excellently it was adapted to the purpose of
+watering ships, drawing his attention to the deep-water immediately
+beneath the low cascade, and dilating upon the facility with which boats
+could be brought alongside.  But it was clearly apparent to him that
+Turnbull was absolutely uninterested in the subject; and he was by no
+means sorry when, upon the return to the camp, the latter declined his
+invitation to remain on shore to dinner, and curtly requested to be at
+once put off to the barque.  During the passage off to the vessel the
+man's surliness of demeanour suddenly vanished, and, as though a
+brilliant idea had just struck him, he became in a moment almost
+offensively civil, strongly urging Dick to remain aboard the barque and
+"make a night of it."  But neither did this suit Dick's plans; the
+sudden change in the man's demeanour at once roused Leslie's suspicions;
+and as he had no intention whatever of placing himself in the fellow's
+power, he suavely declined the invitation, remarking that, as he would
+soon be having quite as much of the sea as he wanted, he would continue
+to enjoy his present roomy quarters as long as he could.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
+
+A STORY OF MUTINY.
+
+Not until Leslie was once more back in his own tent, and absolutely safe
+from all possibility of interruption or espionage, did he venture to
+open and peruse the scrap of paper that the steward had that morning so
+surreptitiously slipped into his hand.  It was apparently part of the
+leaf of a pocket memorandum book; and, hastily scribbled in pencil, in
+an ill-formed and uneducated hand, it bore the following words:--
+
+"Sir, for God's sake take care what your about, or your life won't be
+worth a brass farden.  Turnbull aint no more the proper capten of this
+ship than I am.  There won't be no anchor watch aboard here to-night so
+if youl come off about half after midnight I'll be on the lookout for
+yer and tell yer the hole bloomin yarn.  For God's sake come.--Steward."
+
+"Um!" meditated Leslie, as he held the document to the light of the
+lamp.  "Now, what does this mean?  Is it a trap to get me aboard the
+barque, or is it genuine?  The latter, I am inclined to think, for
+several reasons; the first of which is that the poor man was obviously
+in a state of abject terror this morning.  Secondly, he was so keenly
+anxious to open up communication with me that he made an unsuccessful
+attempt to do so while helping me to my whisky and soda.  Thirdly, his
+statement that Turnbull is not the legitimate skipper of the barque is
+so evidently true that it needs no discussion.  And fourthly, if
+Turnbull had seriously desired to make me a prisoner this afternoon, he
+could easily have done so by sending a boat's crew in pursuit of me--
+that is to say," he corrected himself, "for all he knows to the
+contrary, he could easily have done so.  For how was he to know that I
+had two fully loaded revolvers in my pocket, equivalent to the lives of
+twelve men?  Yes, I am strongly inclined to believe that this remarkable
+little document is genuine, and that there is something very radically
+wrong aboard that barque.  What is it, I wonder?  That Turnbull has
+somehow got scent of the treasure, and is after it, I am almost prepared
+to swear; his obvious vexation and disappointment at finding me here as
+`the man in possession,' and his equally obvious efforts to shake me off
+to-day that he might have an opportunity to go away by himself in search
+of the cave, prove that; but there is something more than that, I am
+certain.  I wonder, now, whether his story of the sick man in the cabin
+has anything to do with it?  I should not be surprised if it had.  And
+where were the crew this morning?  Turnbull spoke of being short-handed;
+but surely there are more people aboard than himself, the steward, the
+cook, and the two or three men I saw?  Oh yes, there is something very
+queer about the whole business; and this document is genuine.  At all
+events I will go off to-night, and hear what the steward has to say
+about it."
+
+In accordance with this resolution Leslie forthwith partook of a good
+hearty meal, and then, extinguishing his lamp, left the tent--to guard
+against the possibility of his being surprised there in his sleep--and,
+walking over to the pile of goods that he had accumulated from the
+brig's cargo, raised the tarpaulin that covered it, and, creeping
+underneath, stretched himself out as comfortably as he could to snatch a
+few hours' sleep, confident that the faculty which he possessed of being
+able to wake at any desired moment would not play him false.  And a few
+minutes later he was fast asleep; for Dick Leslie was one of those men
+who, when once they have resolved upon a certain course of action,
+dismiss further consideration of it from their minds and allow it to
+trouble them no longer.
+
+He had fixed upon half-past eleven as the hour at which he would rise,
+this allowing him a full hour in which to paddle off to the barque; and
+when by-and-by he awoke, and under the shelter of the tarpaulin
+cautiously struck a match and consulted his watch, he found that it was
+within five minutes of the half-hour.  He next peered out from under the
+tarpaulin and carefully scanned the beach by the light of the stars, to
+see whether Turnbull had sent a boat ashore in the hope of "catching a
+weasel asleep;" but his own canoe was the only craft visible, and he
+accordingly made his way down to the water's edge, and, pushing her off,
+sprang noiselessly into her as she went afloat.  Then, heading her round
+with a couple of powerful sweeps of the paddle, he pointed her nose
+toward the spot where the _Minerva's_ spars made a delicate tracery of
+black against the star-spangled heavens, and with long, easy, silent
+strokes drove her quietly ahead.
+
+That the crew had not yet retired to their bunks was soon evident to him
+from the fact that snatches of maudlin song came floating down to him
+occasionally upon the pinions of the dew-laden night breeze; but these
+dwindled steadily as he drew nearer to the vessel, and about a quarter
+of an hour before he arrived alongside they ceased altogether, and the
+craft subsided into complete silence.
+
+Leslie deemed it advisable to approach the barque with a considerable
+amount of caution, not that he doubted the steward, but because, despite
+the silence that had fallen on board, it was just possible that some of
+the crew might still be awake and on deck; he therefore kept the three
+masts of the vessel in one, and crept up to her very gently from right
+astern.  As he drew in under the shadow of her hull the complete
+darkness and silence in which the craft was wrapped seemed almost
+ominous and uncanny; but presently he detected a solitary figure on the
+poop, evidently on the watch, and a moment later saw that this figure
+was silently signalling to him to draw up under the counter.  Obeying
+these silent signals, he found a rope dangling over the stern, which he
+seized, and the next instant the figure that he had observed came
+silently wriggling down the rope into the canoe.  Leslie at once
+recognised him as the steward.
+
+"It's all right, sir," whispered the man, breathless, in part from his
+exertions, and partly also, Leslie believed, from apprehension; "it's
+all right.  But let go, sir, please, and let's get a few fathoms away
+from the ship, for there's no knowin' when that skunk Turnbull may take
+it into his head to come on deck and 'ave a look round; 'e's as nervous
+as a cat, and that suspicious that you can't be up to 'im.  There, thank
+'e, sir; I dare say that'll do; they won't be able to see or 'ear us
+from where we are now, for I couldn't see you until you was close under
+the counter.  Well, you've come, sir, God be thanked; and I 'ope you'll
+be able to 'elp us; because if you can't it'll be a precious bad job for
+some of us."  And the fellow sighed heavily with mingled apprehension
+and relief.
+
+"You had better tell me the whole of your story," said Leslie, quietly.
+"I shall then be in a position to say whether I can help you or not.  If
+I can, you may rest assured that I will."
+
+"Thank 'e, sir," murmured the man.  "Well, ye see, sir, it's like this.
+We sailed from London for Capetown a little more than four months ago;
+and everything went smooth and comfortable enough with us until we got
+across the line and into the south-east trades--for the skipper, poor
+Cap'n Hopkins, was as nice and pleasant a man as anybody need wish to
+sail under; and so was Mr Marshall, too--that's the mate, you'll
+understand, sir--although 'e kep' the men up to their dooty, and
+wouldn't 'ave no skulkin' aboard.  The only chap as was anyways
+disagreeable was this feller Turnbull, who was rated as bo'sun, and give
+charge of the starboard watch, actin' as a sort of second mate, ye see.
+Well, as I was sayin', everything went all right until we got to the
+s'uth'ard of the line.  Then, one night I was woke up some time after
+midnight by a terrific row in the cabin; and up I jumps and out I goes
+to see what was up.  When I got into the cabin it seemed full of men;
+but I'd no sooner shown my nose than one of the chaps--it was Pete
+Burton, I remember--catches sight of me, and, takin' me by the collar,
+'e runs me back into my cabin and says, `You stay in there, Jim,'--my
+name's Reynolds--Jim Reynolds--you'll understand, sir.  `You stay in
+there, Jim,' 'e says, `and no 'arm'll come to you; but if you tries to
+come out afore you're called, you'll get 'urt,' 'e says.  Then 'e turns
+the key upon me, and I gets back into my bunk, and listens.  The next
+thing I 'eard was a pistol-shot; then there was another tremenjous
+'ullabaloo, men shoutin' and strugglin' together, followed by a suddent
+silence, and the sound of all 'ands clearin' out of the cabin.  Then
+there was a lot of tramplin' of feet on the poop over my 'ead, with a
+good deal of talkin'; then I 'eard somebody cry out, there was a 'eavy
+splash in the water alongside, and then everything went quite quiet all
+of a sudden, and I 'eard no more until mornin'.  But I guessed pretty
+well what 'ad 'appened; and when Turnbull come along about five bells
+and unlocked my door and ordered me to turn out and get about my work, I
+found I was right, for when I went for'ard to the galley, Slushy--that's
+the cook, otherwise known as Neil Dolan--told me that that skowbank
+Turnbull, backed up by the four A.B.s in the fo'c's'le and Slushy
+'isself, 'ad rose and took the ship from the skipper, killin' 'im and
+Chips--that's the carpenter--puttin' the mate in irons and lockin' 'im
+up in 'is cabin, and compellin' the four ordinarys to help--whether they
+would or no--in workin' the ship.  Then, by-and-by, when eight bells
+struck and I rang the bell for breakfast, along comes Turnbull, and says
+to me--
+
+"`Well, Jim, I s'pose you've 'eard the news?'
+
+"`Yes, bo'sun,' I says, `I 'ave.'
+
+"`Very well,' he says; `that's all right.  Now,' 'e says, `all as you
+'ave to do, my son, is to behave yourself and do your dooty, takin' care
+not to interfere with my arrangements.  You'll give the mate 'is meals
+in 'is own cabin, regular; but you're not to talk to 'im, you
+understand, nor tell 'im anything that you may see or 'ear about what's
+goin' on.  And don't you call me bo'sun no more, young man, or I'll
+knock your bloomin' young 'ead off, for I'm cap'n of this ship now, and
+don't you forget it!  So now you knows what to expect.  And, mind you,'
+'e says, `if you gets up to any 'ankypanky tricks I'll chuck you over
+the side, so sure as your name's Jim Reynolds, so keep your weather eye
+liftin', my son!'
+
+"Later on, that same day, Turnbull 'as the mate out into the main cabin
+and spreads a chart of the Pacific Hocean out on the table; and, readin'
+from a paper what 'e 'ad in 'is 'and, says, `Now, Mr Marshall, I'll
+trouble you to lay down on this 'ere chart a p'int bearin' latitood
+so-and-so and longitood so-and-so,'--I forgets what the figures was.
+`And when you've done that,' he says, `you'll navigate this 'ere barque
+to that identical spot.  I'll give yer two months from to-day to get us
+there,' 'e says; `and if we're not there by that time,' 'e says, `I'll
+lash your 'ands and feet together be'ind yer back and 'eave yer
+overboard.  So now you knows what you've to do if you want to save yer
+bloomin' life,' 'e says.
+
+"That same a'ternoon, while I was for'ard in the galley, Slushy--who was
+in 'igh spirits--tells me as 'ow Turnbull 'ave got 'old of a yarn about
+a lot of buried treasure on a hisland somewhere, in the Pacific, and
+that we was bound there to get it; and that when we'd got it, Turnbull
+and them as 'ad stood in with 'im 'd be as rich as princes and wouldn't
+need to do another stroke of work for the rest of their naturals, but
+just 'ave a good time, with as much booze as they cared to swaller.  And
+I reckon that this 'ere's the hisland where Turnbull thinks 'e'll find
+'is treasure."
+
+"No doubt," agreed Leslie.  "Well, what do you want me to do?"
+
+"Well, sir, it ain't for the likes of me to say just exactly what you
+ought to do," answered Reynolds.  "I thought that maybe if I spinned you
+the whole yarn you'd be able to think out some way of 'elpin' of us.
+There ain't no doubt in my mind but what you bein' on the hisland 'ave
+upset Turnbull's calculations altogether.  As I makes it out, 'e
+reckoned upon comin' 'ere and goin' ashore with 'is paper in 'is 'and,
+and walkin' pretty straight to the place where this 'ere treasure is
+buried, and diggin' of it up all quite comfortable, with nobody to
+hinterfere with 'im.  But you bein' 'ere makes it okkard for 'im, you
+see; because 'e's afraid that where 'e goes you'll go with 'im, and if
+'e goes pokin' about lookin' after buried treasure you'll drop on to 'is
+secret and p'rhaps get 'old of the stuff.  And that's just where the
+danger to you comes in; because, d'ye see, sir, if 'e'd kill one man for
+the sake of gettin' 'old of the barque to come 'ere on the off-chance of
+findin' the treasure, 'e ain't the kind of man to 'esitate about killin'
+another who'd be likely to hinterfere with 'im."
+
+"Just so," assented Leslie; "that is quite possible.  But I will see
+that he does nothing of the kind.  Now, tell me, how many of the ship's
+company are with Turnbull, and how many are there against him?"
+
+"Well, first of all, there's Turnbull 'isself; that's one," answered the
+steward.  "Then there's Burton, Royston, Hampton, and Cunliffe, the four
+A.B.s; that's five.  And, lastly, there's the cook; 'e makes six.  Then,
+on our side, there's Mr Marshall, the mate; that's one.  I'm another;
+that's two.  And there's Rogers, Andrews, Parker, and Martin, the four
+ordinary seamen; that's six again.  So there's six against six, as you
+may say; only there's this difference between us: Turnbull 'ave got two
+revolvers, one what 'e found in the skipper's cabin, and one what 'e
+took from the mate, while the four A.B.s 'as their knives; whereas we
+'aven't nothin', they 'avin' took our knives and everything away from
+us."
+
+"Still," argued Leslie, "the belaying-pins are always available, I
+suppose, and they are fairly effective weapons in a hand-to-hand fight,
+to say nothing of handspikes and other matters that you can always lay
+your hands on.  But of course Turnbull's brace of revolvers gives him an
+immense advantage, should it come to fighting.  But I can plainly see
+that if the slip is to be recaptured at all--and I believe it can be
+managed--it must be done without fighting; for you are not strong-handed
+enough to risk the loss, or even the disablement, of so much as a single
+man.  Now, tell me this.  Turnbull informs me that your water is bad,
+and that he intends to re-water the ship, here.  Is that true, or is it
+only a fabrication to account to me for the presence here of the
+_Minerva_?"
+
+"Why, just that, and nothin' else, sir," answered the steward.  "Our
+water's good enough.  But certingly we're runnin' rather short of it;
+and I don't doubt but what 'e'll fill up, if there's water to be 'ad
+'ere.  But it's the treasure as 'e's after, first and foremost, and
+don't you forget it."
+
+"Quite so," agreed Leslie.  "Now, no doubt he will go ashore again soon
+after daylight; and as I shall not come off to the ship he will be
+compelled to come ashore in his own boat.  How many men will he be
+likely to bring with him, think you?"
+
+"Not more'n two, sir, certingly," answered the steward; "and p'rhaps not
+any at all.  Likely enough when 'e finds as you don't come off 'e'll
+scull 'isself ashore in the dinghy.  Because, you see, sir, 'e don't
+trust none of us 'ceptin' the four as is standin' in with 'im, and them
+four 'as their orders to keep a strict heye upon us to see that we don't
+rise and take back the ship from 'em.  So I don't think as 'e'll take
+any o' them ashore with 'im if 'e can 'elp it.  And 'e won't take none
+of the others either, 'cause 'e'd be afraid to trust 'isself alone with
+'em."
+
+"Very well," said Leslie.  "I think I can see my way pretty clearly now.
+If Turnbull should go ashore by himself to-morrow, I will look after
+him and see that he does not return to the barque.  But if he should
+take any of his own gang with him--say two of them--that will leave only
+two and the cook aboard against six of you, which will make you two to
+one.  In that case you must watch your chance, and, if you can find an
+opportunity, rise upon those three and retake the ship.  And if you
+should succeed, hoist the ensign to the gaff-end as a signal to me that
+the ship is recaptured.  But do not run any risks, mind; because, as I
+have already said, you cannot afford to lose even one man.  If you
+cannot see a good chance to retake the ship, we must watch our
+opportunity, and think of some other plan.  That is all, I think.  Now I
+will put you aboard again.  But look out for me to come off again about
+the same time to-morrow night."
+
+With the same caution as before Leslie now again approached the barque,
+but this time he took the canoe up under the craft's mizzen channels,
+from which it was a much easier matter for the steward to scramble
+aboard again than if he had been compelled to shin up the rope dangling
+over the stern, by which he had descended; and having seen the man
+safely in on deck, he softly pushed the canoe off the ship's side with
+his bare hand, and allowed her to be driven clear by the wind; and it
+was not until he was a good hundred yards astern of the _Minerva_ that
+he took to his paddle and returned to the camp.  It was nearly two
+o'clock in the morning when at length he once more entered his tent and
+stretched himself upon his bed to finish his night's rest.
+
+Leslie was habitually an early riser, and, notwithstanding the fact that
+the previous night's rest had been a broken one, he was once more astir
+by sunrise, taking his towels and soap with him to a little rocky pool
+in the stream where he was wont to indulge in his morning's "tub;" and
+by eight o'clock he was seated at table in his tent, enjoying his
+breakfast, and at the same time keeping an eye upon the barque.
+
+It was not, however, until close upon half-past ten that Dick detected
+any signs of a movement on board the _Minerva_; and then with the aid of
+his telescope, he observed that they were getting the vessel's dinghy
+into the water.  Ten minutes later he saw Turnbull climb down the ship's
+side, and, throwing over a short pair of sculls, shove off and head the
+little craft for the beach.  Dick waited only just long enough to make
+quite sure that the man was really coming ashore, and, this presently
+becoming evident, he at once started for the treasure-cave.  Knowing the
+way by this time perfectly well, an hour's easy walking took him to the
+spot, where he found Nicholls and Simpson on the watch.  A few terse
+sentences sufficed to put the men in possession of the material facts of
+the situation, and he then hurried down aboard the cutter to see Flora
+and assure her of his safety, and that everything was going well.  Then,
+returning to the cave, he made his final arrangements with the two men,
+and set out on his way back toward the camp.  He did not go very far,
+however, for he knew that, finding him absent, Turnbull would at once
+seize the opportunity to institute a search for the cave; and he knew,
+further, that--since the man was undoubtedly possessed of tolerably
+complete information, including, probably, a map of the island--he must
+sooner or later make his appearance in the neighbourhood; he therefore
+selected a spot where, himself unseen, he could command a view of the
+ground over which the fellow must almost inevitably pass, and sat down
+to patiently await developments.
+
+At length, after Leslie had been in ambush for nearly three hours, he
+saw Turnbull approaching among the trees, carrying what appeared to be a
+map or plan in his hand, which he consulted from time to time, with
+frequent pauses to stare about him as though in search of certain
+landmarks.  As the burly ruffian drew nearer, Dick took a revolver from
+his pocket and finally scrutinised it to make absolutely certain that it
+was in perfect working order.  Slowly the fellow approached, muttering
+curses below his breath at the unevenness of the way and the
+unsimilarity of the landscape with that described in the document which
+he carried.  Presently he went, stumbling and execrating, close past the
+spot where Leslie remained concealed, and the latter at once rose to his
+feet and followed him noiselessly, at a distance of some fifteen paces.
+In this fashion the two men covered a distance of about a quarter of a
+mile, when Turnbull once more paused to consult his map.
+
+At the same moment Leslie halted, and, levelling his revolver at the
+boatswain's head, said--
+
+"It is no good, Turnbull; you will never find the place without my help.
+No, you don't!  Throw up your hands.  Over your head with them, quick,
+or I'll fire!  Do you hear what I say, sir?  Well, take that, then, you
+obstinate mule, as a hint to do as you are told in future!"
+
+And as Leslie spoke he pulled the trigger of his revolver, and sent a
+bullet through the man's left arm, shattering the bone above the elbow.
+
+For, with the sound of Dick's voice, Turnbull had faced about, and, with
+a bitter curse, made as though he would plunge his hands into the
+side-pockets of the pilot jacket that he was wearing.  As the shot
+struck him he gave vent to another curse that ended in a sharp howl of
+anguish as he flung his uninjured arm above his head.
+
+"What the blazes are ye doin' of?" he yelled in impotent fury.  "D'ye
+know that you've broke my arm?"
+
+"Sorry," remarked Dick, nonchalantly, "but you _would_ have it, you
+know.  I distinctly ordered you to throw up your hands, and you
+immediately attempted to plunge them into your pockets to get at your
+revolvers.  If you compel me to shoot again I shall shoot to kill, so I
+hope that, for your own sake, you will make no further attempt to do
+anything foolish.  Now, right about face, and march.  I will tell you
+how to steer.  And be very careful to keep that right hand of yours well
+above your head."
+
+"Ain't you goin' to bind up this wound of mine for me, then?" demanded
+Turnbull.  "And what right have you got to shoot at me, I'd like to
+know?"
+
+"All in good time," answered Leslie, airily.  "Now march, as I told you,
+and be quick about it, or I shall be compelled to freshen your way for
+you with another shot.  I know all about you, my good man, and I am
+therefore not at all disposed to put up with any nonsense.  Forward!"
+
+With a further volley of curses of extraordinary virulence, Turnbull
+turned on his heel and resumed his way in the direction of the
+treasure-cave, with Dick at his heels directing him from time to time to
+"port a little", "starboard a bit," or "steady as you go," as the case
+might be.
+
+A few minutes of this kind of thing sufficed to bring the pair close to
+the treasure-cave, the entrance of which had been considerably enlarged
+by Nicholls and Simpson for their own convenience.  They were, however,
+absent for the moment when Dick arrived with his prisoner; and the
+latter stared in wonderment at the cave and the chests in front of it,
+which the two men had removed from the interior prior to transference to
+the cutter.
+
+"So," exclaimed Turnbull, savagely, "that's what you're at, is it?
+Stealin' my treasure!  Very well; if I don't make you smart for this my
+name ain't Robert Turnbull, that's all.  What d'ye mean, I'd like to
+know, by comin' here and stealin' treasure that don't belong to ye, eh?"
+
+"To whom does it belong, pray, if not to me?" demanded Dick, blandly,
+curious to learn what kind of claim this ruffian would set up.
+
+"Why, to _me_, of course," howled Turnbull, clenching his right fist and
+shaking it savagely at Leslie.
+
+"Keep that right hand of yours over your head," ordered Dick, sharply,
+again covering him with lightning-like rapidity.  "That's right," he
+continued.  "Now perhaps you will kindly tell me how it came to be
+yours."
+
+"Why, I got it off a former shipmate of mine," answered Turnbull.  "He
+give it to me when--when he--died."
+
+"What was his name?" asked Dick.
+
+"His name?" reiterated Turnbull, "what do his name matter?  And anyhow
+I've forgot it."
+
+At this moment Nicholls and Simpson made their appearance upon the
+scene, much to Turnbull's amazement, and turning to them Leslie said--
+
+"Here is your prisoner, lads.  Have you your lashings ready?  And is the
+cave empty of everything that we intend to take away with us?  Very
+well, then; march this fellow in there and bind his two feet and his
+right hand together securely--his left arm is broken and useless, you
+need not therefore trouble about that.  And when you have done that I
+will set his broken arm and dress his wound for him.  Keep him in the
+cave until I give you further instructions concerning him, and meanwhile
+give him a sufficiency of food and water to keep him from starving."
+
+For a moment Turnbull, wounded as he was, seemed very much disposed to
+make a final struggle for his liberty; but although he was a strong man,
+Simpson would have been more than a match for him even if he had been
+unwounded, and presently, recognising the futility and folly of
+resistance he sulkily entered the cave and submitted to be bound,
+growling and cursing horribly all the while, however.  Then Leslie,
+assisted by Nicholls, dressed his wound and set the broken bone of the
+arm; lashing it firmly with splints hastily cut out of small branches
+from the nearest trees.  Satisfied now that the fellow was absolutely
+secured, and quite incapable either of escaping or of inflicting any
+very serious injury upon himself, the three men at length left him to
+his; own devices, and proceeded to get the remainder of the treasure
+aboard the cutter and snugly stowed away--a task that they accomplished
+early enough to enable Dick to get back to the camp ere nightfall.
+Arrived there, Leslie at once set to work to prepare himself a good
+substantial meal, which he subsequently devoured with much gusto--having
+eaten nothing since breakfast; and, this important matter being disposed
+of, he immediately turned in, desiring to secure a few hours' sleep ere
+setting out upon his nocturnal trip off to the barque.
+
+When, at about half an hour after midnight, he again approached the
+_Minerva_, observing the same precautions as before, he found the
+steward awaiting his arrival with considerable trepidation.  The man
+again descended into the canoe by way of the rope over the stern; and
+again Leslie allowed the little craft to drive with the wind to a
+perfectly safe distance before opening the conversation.  At length,
+however, he said--
+
+"Now I think we are far enough away to permit of our talking freely
+without being either heard or seen; so go ahead, Reynolds, and give me
+the news.  Has Turnbull's failure to return to the ship caused any
+uneasiness to the others of his gang?"
+
+"Well, it 'ave, and it 'aven't, if you can understand me, sir," answered
+the man.  "What I mean to say is this," he continued, by way of
+explanation, "the chaps--Burton and the rest of 'em--seems a bit puzzled
+that 'e 'aven't come off aboard to sleep to-night; but so far as I can
+make out, they thinks 'e's stayin' ashore with you, chummin' up with
+you, in a manner of speakin', and tryin' to get to wind'ard of you.
+They seems to think that Turnbull--who thinks 'isself a mighty clever
+chap, but ain't nothin' of the sort--'aven't been able to hinvent an
+excuse to get away from you, and that you've been goin' about with 'im
+all day, showin' 'im round the hisland and such-like; and that 'e's
+stayin' ashore to-night 'opin' to be able to give you the slip early in
+the mornin' and get off by 'isself to 'ave a look for 'is treasure-cave.
+That's what they thinks; but of course it ain't nothin' of the sort.
+_You_ knows what 'ave 'appened to 'im, sir; no doubt?"
+
+"Oh yes," answered Leslie, with a laugh; "I know quite well what has
+happened to him.  He is alive; but he will not come off to the barque
+again."
+
+"Thank God for that!" ejaculated the steward, piously.  "Well, sir," he
+resumed, "what is to be the next move?"
+
+"That," answered Leslie, "will depend upon circumstances--or, in other
+words, upon the action of Turnbull's accomplices.  It would no doubt be
+easy enough to recapture the barque without further delay, if I were
+willing to risk a fight.  But I am not, for two very good reasons; one
+of which is that my own party is so small that I cannot afford to have
+either of them hurt; and the other is that your party is also so small
+that if even a single man should happen to be disabled in a fight it
+would be exceedingly difficult for the remainder of you to handle the
+barque.  Therefore I would very much rather spend a few more days over
+this business, and recapture the vessel without any fighting, than rush
+the matter and perhaps get somebody badly hurt.  By the way, what sort
+of men are these accomplices of Turnbull's?  Are they of the resolute
+and determined sort?"
+
+"Ay," answered the steward, "you bet your life they are, sir.  Turnbull
+took 'em in with 'im just because 'e couldn't 'elp 'isself.  'E 'ad to
+'ave 'elp to take the barque, and naterally 'e chose the chaps as 'e
+thought would be most useful to 'im, 'specially as 'e didn't want to
+'ave more 'n 'e could 'elp to go shares with 'im.  Now these 'ere four--
+Burton and the rest of 'em--are big, strong fellers, all of 'em.  Either
+of 'em could tackle any two of the rest of us in a stand-up fight and
+make mincemeat of us; so I reckon that's the reason why Turnbull chose
+'em.  With they four and the cook on 'is side, and the mate safe in
+irons and locked up in 'is cabin, 'e could laugh at the rest of us, and
+do just ezactly as 'e liked."
+
+"I see," assented Leslie.  "But what sort of a man is your mate, then?
+Could he not devise some scheme whereby, with the assistance of the rest
+of you, he could get the better of these fellows?"
+
+"Mr Marshall?" responded the steward.  "Oh, 'e's all right; 'e's smart
+enough, 'e is; not much of a chap to look at--bein' a small man and not
+over strong--but 'is 'ead's screwed on the right way.  But 'e can't do
+nothin', because, ye see, sir, they keeps 'im in irons and locked up in
+'is own cabin, 'cept when 'e was let out twice a day to take the sights
+and work up the ship's reckonin', and then either Turnbull or one of 'is
+gang was always alongside of 'im, and nobody else was hever allowed to
+go anigh 'im; whilst at other times--when I was givin' 'im 'is meals, I
+mean--either Pete Burton or one of the other chaps what was in with
+Turnbull was always about to see as 'e and I didn't 'ave no talk
+together.  So, ye see, the poor man 'adn't no chance to do anything
+'owever much 'e might 'ave been minded."
+
+"Poor beggar!" ejaculated Leslie; "he must have had an awfully rough
+time of it.  And, evidently, Turnbull and his pals do not mean to take
+any chances--which makes the recapture of the barque without a fight
+somewhat difficult.  However, I believe it can be done; and, anyhow, I
+intend to try.  Now, as I suppose you know these fellows pretty well, I
+want you to tell me what you think will happen when they find that
+Turnbull does not return to the ship."
+
+The steward carefully considered the matter for some moments.  At length
+he said--
+
+"Well, sir, if Turnbull don't come off by to-morrow night, it's very
+likely as they'll begin to suspect that you knows somethin' about it.
+Then, what'll they do?  They daren't all four of 'em leave the barque,
+with only Slushy to take care of 'er, because they knows very well that
+the rest of us 'd pretty soon tie up Mr Slushy and have the barque back
+again.  And they knows, too, that if all four of 'em was to come ashore,
+we could slip the cable, make sail, and take the 'ooker out to sea afore
+they could pull off to 'er.  No; they won't do that.  What they _will_
+do, I expect, is this.  If Turnbull don't come off by sunset to-morrow--
+which I s'pose he won't, eh?  No.  Well, if he don't, I expect as
+they'll wait till some time a'ter midnight, and then two of 'em 'll
+quietly drift ashore in one of the quarter-boats, leavin' the other two
+to take care o' the ship.  And the two as goes ashore 'll reckon upon
+catchin' of you calmly asleep in your tent, there, and makin' you tell
+'em where Turnbull is."
+
+"Y-e-s," assented Leslie, thoughtfully, "it is quite likely that they
+may do some such thing as that.  Yes; no doubt they will do that, sooner
+or later; if not to-morrow night, then the night after, or the night
+after that again.  Very well; if they do, I shall be ready for them.
+And on the succeeding night, steward, you may look out for me again,
+about this time, unless, meanwhile, I see any reason to alter my plans.
+Now, that is all for the present, I think, so I will put you aboard
+again.  I suppose, by the way, these men have no suspicion that you and
+I are in communication with each other?"
+
+"Lor' bless ye, no, sir," answered Reynolds, cheerfully.  "Why should
+they?  They don't dream as you've any idee of the real state of
+affairs--at least not up to now.  They may p'rhaps 'ave their suspicions
+if Turnbull don't come aboard some time to-morrow; but at present they
+believes as 'e 've bamboozled you completely.  Then, they drinks pretty
+freely every night, and sleeps sound a'ter it, which they wouldn't do if
+they 'ad a thought as I was up to any game."
+
+"So much the better," remarked Leslie.  "What you have to do is to leave
+them in the same comfortable frame of mind as long as possible.  Now,
+here we are.  Good night!"
+
+As Leslie paddled thoughtfully ashore again he pondered over the
+foregoing conversation with the steward, and after carefully weighing
+the several _pros_ and _cons_ of the situation, finally arrived at the
+conclusion that the steward's surmise as to the mutineers' line of
+action would probably prove to be a very near approach to the truth.  In
+any case he thought it in the highest degree improbable that they would
+attempt so exceedingly risky an operation as that of leaving the barque
+in broad daylight, when all hands would be awake and about; he therefore
+partook of a leisurely breakfast next morning, and then fearlessly left
+the camp to take care of itself while he sauntered over to the cove to
+see how Nicholls and Simpson were getting on.  And as he passed the
+treasure-cave he looked in, just to satisfy himself that Turnbull was
+still in safe keeping, and also to examine his wound.  He found the
+fellow still bound hard and fast, and in a state of sullen fury at his
+helpless condition, but otherwise he was doing fairly well, except for
+the fact that his wound presented a somewhat inflamed and angry
+appearance, due, no doubt, to the man's unhealthy state of body through
+excessive drinking.  Leslie dressed the wound afresh, and then passed on
+to the cove, where he found Nicholls and Simpson busily engaged in
+getting the cutter ataunto.  They had already got her mainsail bent,
+set, and flapping gently about in the small currents of wind that eddied
+round the cove, the idea being to allow it to stretch uniformly before
+exposing it to the regular strain of work.  And when Leslie came upon
+them they were busy upon the task of bending the foresail; and Nicholls
+reported that they would be easily able to complete everything, even to
+getting the topmast on end and the rigging set up, before nightfall.  As
+for Flora, she had gone off upon a ramble, leaving a note for Dick which
+contained instructions as to how he might find her.  This he did,
+without difficulty; and as the whole of the treasure was now loaded on
+board the cutter and the little craft herself was in condition to leave
+the cove at an hour's notice, there remained little or nothing to be
+done prior to the recapture of the _Minerva_.  Dick therefore felt
+himself perfectly free to devote the remainder of the day to his
+sweetheart.
+
+About an hour before sunset, however, the pair turned up at the cove,
+and while Flora went on board the cutter, Leslie instructed Nicholls to
+accompany him back to the camp, which they reached just as darkness
+fell.  Arrived there, the two men at once made their way to the great
+pile of bales and cases that Dick had, with such a tremendous
+expenditure of labour, brought ashore from the wrecked _Mermaid_, and,
+rummaging among these, found the big case of firearms from which Leslie
+had provided himself.  The case was opened and a brace of good,
+serviceable revolvers withdrawn therefrom for Nicholls' use, after which
+the two men leisurely partook of their evening meal.  By the time that
+this was finished and cleared away it was close upon eight o'clock, and
+as Leslie rather anticipated the possibility of a visit from some of the
+mutineers that night, and had no fancy for being taken unawares by them,
+he directed Nicholls to lie down and sleep until midnight, when he would
+relieve him, it being Dick's purpose that the two men should take watch
+and watch through the night.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
+
+THE RECAPTURE OF THE MINERVA.
+
+The camp being in complete darkness, Dick took his station just inside
+the tent-flap and, with the aid of his night-glass, maintained a close
+watch upon the barque.  Hitherto there had been something very much in
+the nature of a carouse carried on aboard her every night since her
+arrival, the revel usually lasting up until nearly midnight.  But on
+this particular night there was a difference, the singing and shouting
+coming to an end before four bells, or ten o'clock, a circumstance that
+further confirmed Dick in his impression that the mutineers meditated
+some step of a more or less decisive character.  Yet when, by the
+carefully screened lamp in the tent, he consulted his watch and found
+that the hour of midnight was already past, he had entirely failed to
+detect any sign of life or movement on board the _Minerva_.
+
+He now called Nicholls, and when the latter appeared he said to him--
+
+"If you will sit here, where I have been sitting, you will be able, by
+using the night-glass, to keep a very perfect watch upon the barque
+without being yourself seen, and the moment that you detect anything
+like the appearance of a boat coming ashore, please wake me.  And be
+especially careful not to light your pipe where you can be seen, as I am
+particularly anxious not to scare those fellows from coming ashore.
+And, in their present state of mind, I am afraid that anything which
+might excite within them the suspicion that they are being watched would
+suffice to scare them back to the ship again."
+
+Then he, in his turn, stretched himself out and was presently sound
+asleep.
+
+It seemed as though he had been asleep scarcely five minutes, although
+it was really more than an hour when Nicholls shook him by the shoulder
+and said--
+
+"Mr Leslie, wake up, sir, please.  There's a boat of some sort coming
+ashore from the barque.  She's been in sight for the last quarter of an
+hour, but she's coming along very slowly, and I expect it'll be quite
+another quarter of an hour before she reaches the beach."
+
+"Where is she?" demanded Leslie, seizing the night-glass.  "Oh, there
+she is," he continued, as he brought the instrument to bear.  "I see
+her.  She appears to be one of the barque's quarter-boats, Nicholls,
+and, so far as I can make out, there are only two men in her."
+
+"It's difficult to tell by starlight, sir," replied Nicholls, "but I
+should say there's about that number.  There can't be less, for she is
+pulling two oars, and one man wouldn't be likely to attempt the job of
+pulling a heavy boat like a gig ashore, much less pull her back again
+against the wind.  And I don't think there's likely to be more than two
+of 'em, otherwise they wouldn't be pulling only two oars."
+
+"Just so," agreed Leslie.  "Now where are those seizings?  Oh, here they
+are!  That's all right; we must have them where we can put our hands
+upon them at a moment's notice.  And are your pistols all ready, in case
+you should need to use them?  That's well.  Now all that remains for us
+to do is to quietly await the arrival of those gentlemen here, in the
+darkness of the tent.  They will be pretty certain to come here first.
+And when they do, I will cover them with my revolvers while you lash
+their hands behind them.  And take care that you lash them so securely
+that there will be no possibility of their getting adrift again."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; never fear.  You may trust me for that," answered
+Nicholls, cheerfully.
+
+And with that the two men seated themselves well back within the deepest
+shadows of the tent, and quietly awaited the approach of their nocturnal
+visitors.
+
+The boat was by this time so close to the beach that it was apparent
+that the men in her were pulling with muffled oars; and presently she
+glided in upon the sand so gently that she grounded without a sound.
+Then the two figures in her silently rose to their feet, and, laying in
+their oars with such extreme care that the deposition of them upon the
+thwarts was accomplished with perfect noiselessness, stepped gently out
+of her on to the yielding sand.  They conferred earnestly together for a
+minute or two and then, turning, came cautiously up the beach, each of
+them carrying a short length of rope in his hand.
+
+"By Jove," whispered Leslie to his companion, "they are determined to
+leave nothing to chance; they have actually brought along with them the
+lashings wherewith to bind me!"
+
+Nicholls chuckled quietly.  "So they have, sir," he whispered.  "It'll
+be a joke to see the way that they'll be taken aback presently."
+
+Treading carefully and using every precaution to avoid the slightest
+noise, the two men slowly made their way up the beach and on to the
+thick grass of the little savannah upon which the tent stood.  They now
+seemed to think that the necessity for such extreme caution was past,
+and advanced much more rapidly, until they arrived within about twenty
+yards of the tent, when they again paused for a moment to confer
+together.
+
+"Now!" whispered Leslie; and, at the word, he and his companion rose to
+their feet and stepped forward into the open.  The new arrivals did not
+see them at once, for their heads were close together as they whispered
+to each other, and there were perhaps never two more surprised men than
+they were when Leslie's voice smote upon their ears with the words--
+
+"Don't move an inch, or you are both dead men.  And throw up your hands!
+If you dare to move I will fire; and, as you may see, I am covering you
+both!"
+
+As Leslie spoke the two men started guiltily apart, and then stood
+staring in stupefaction at the two figures that had so suddenly appeared
+before them.
+
+"Up with your hands, both of you," reiterated Leslie, sharply, for the
+strangers had apparently been taken too completely by surprise to fully
+comprehend all that was said to them.  "And," he continued, "listen
+carefully to me, both of you.  You are my prisoners, and I intend to
+make perfectly sure of you.  I know all about you; I know you to be two
+men who are engaged in a desperate enterprise, and are likely to stick
+at nothing.  Now, understand me well: I am just as resolute as you are,
+and if you give me the slightest trouble I will put a bullet through
+you, as surely as you stand there; so do not attempt any nonsense if you
+value your lives.  Now you," indicating one of them with his levelled
+revolver, "move three paces to your right--so; halt! that will do.  Now,
+Nicholls, lash that fellow's hands firmly behind his back."
+
+"Well, here's a pretty go," yelled one of them to the other in an access
+of impotent fury.  "A dandy old mess you've made of this job, Mister
+bloomin' Peter Burton, haven't you? and dragged me into it along with
+yer!  I wish I'd never had nothin' at all to do with the cussed
+business, now, I do; I _knowed_ it was boun' to go a mucker, from the
+very fust!  But you and that bloomin' skowbank of a Turnbull _would_
+drag me into it, temptin' me with your yarns of treasure, and bein' as
+rich as a Jew, and a lot more rot o' the same sort, and now, here I am,
+landed--"
+
+"There, that will do, my man," interrupted Leslie, sharply, as Nicholls
+deftly proceeded to lash the fellow's hands behind him; "your repentance
+comes just a little too late to be of any use to you.  You are a
+mutineer and a murderer, and you must take the consequences of your evil
+deeds."
+
+"What do _you_ know about it?" growled the man who had been addressed as
+Burton.  "Who's been blowin' the gaff to _you_?  If it's Turnbull that's
+been doin' a split, I'll wring his neck for 'im!"
+
+"There, sir, number one is all right," exclaimed Nicholls as he stepped
+away from his victim.  "If he gets adrift I'll give him leave to eat me,
+body and bones!  Shall I go ahead with this other chap now?"
+
+"Yes," assented Leslie; "truss him up, and let us have done with them
+both as quickly as possible."
+
+Burton, who was an immensely powerful fellow, poured forth a volley of
+the most horrible curses and threats as Nicholls approached him; but
+Leslie stood but half a dozen paces from him, with his revolver levelled
+straight at the fellow's head, and a stern word of caution sufficed to
+quell the fast-rising inclination to resistance that shone in the man's
+eyes; he subsided suddenly to a state of sullen silence, and submitted
+in his turn to be bound.  The whole episode had not occupied more than
+five minutes, at the outside.  Then, with their hands firmly secured
+behind them, the two men were marched off to the hut that had been built
+by the savages, where they were compelled to lie down and submit to a
+further process of binding, upon the completion of which they found
+themselves absolutely helpless; for now both their hands and their feet
+were lashed together so tightly and securely that it was quite
+impossible for them to move otherwise than to give an occasional feeble,
+impotent wriggle.
+
+This accomplished to their complete satisfaction, Leslie and Nicholls
+returned to the tent, and resumed their alternate vigils until the
+morning; for they knew not what arrangements these men might have made
+with their fellow-mutineers, and deemed it wisest not to relax their
+vigilance now until the entire adventure had been brought to a
+successful issue.
+
+The remainder of the night passed, however, without further incident,
+and at daybreak the occupants of the tent were once more astir and
+preparing breakfast.  Then, having satisfied their own appetites, they
+took a good liberal supply of food to the hut and, loosing their
+prisoner's bonds sufficiently to allow them the use of their hands, bade
+them eat and drink freely.
+
+Then, when at length Burton and his companion--whose name, it
+transpired, was Samuel Cunliffe--sullenly acknowledged that they had
+eaten and drunk all that they desired, their hands were once more lashed
+securely behind them, their feet released, and they were bidden to
+follow Leslie, who went ahead while Nicholls, as rear-guard, walked
+close behind.  And thus they all proceeded until the cave was reached,
+where the two new arrivals were forced to join their fellow-prisoner,
+Turnbull.  And there, in that gloomy cavern, the exigencies of the
+situation demanded that, for a time at least, they should be once more
+subjected to the extreme discomfort of being lashed, hands and feet
+together, as they had been in the hut on the previous night, in order to
+avoid all possibility of their getting together and releasing each
+other.
+
+Having satisfied himself that his prisoners were absolutely secure, and
+dressed Turnbull's wound afresh, Leslie, accompanied by Nicholls, next
+made his way to the cove, where he found the cutter lying at anchor in
+the centre of the little basin with all her canvas set and gently
+flapping in the light breeze.  And a marvellously pretty picture the
+little craft presented with her snow-white hull, surmounted by a broad
+expanse of scarcely less white cotton canvas, sitting daintily and
+jauntily upon the water, the white of her hull and sails, and the ruddy
+sheen of her copper sheathing brilliantly reflected upon the smooth,
+dark surface of the element she rode in such saucy fashion.  Dick stood
+for some minutes feasting his eyes upon the pretty picture she presented
+against the dark-brown background of scarred and riven rock that formed
+the sides of the basin, and then he and Nicholls quickly descended the
+precipitous slope to where the catamaran lay moored, and, jumping on
+board her, paddled off to the _Flora_, whose namesake fortunately
+happened to be on board her at the moment, but was just preparing to go
+ashore for another ramble.
+
+"I am afraid, dear, you cannot go just now," said Dick, "unless indeed
+you would like to walk over to the camp, for we are about to return
+there at once, preparatory, I hope, to sailing for home to-morrow."
+
+"Do you think Dick, it would be quite safe for me to take the walk
+alone?  Because, if so, and we are actually going to sail to-morrow, I
+should so like to do it.  It is a lovely walk; and there are
+associations connected with it that endear it to me," she said shyly.
+
+"Very well, little girl," responded Dick.  "Then take the walk, by all
+means, for it is perfectly safe.  Only be very careful not to look in at
+the cave on your way, for I have three prisoners stowed away there, now,
+and although they are too firmly secured to be able to hurt you, they
+may say things that would offend your ears."
+
+Flora promised that she would most carefully avoid the cave, and was set
+ashore by the catamaran, Dick instructing Nicholls and Simpson to
+afterwards proceed round to the camp in that craft while he himself
+undertook to work the cutter round to the same point single-handed.
+While, therefore, the two seamen were conveying Flora to the
+landing-place, Leslie busied himself in taking a pull upon the halliards
+all round and getting up the cutter's anchor.  He was still thus engaged
+when the catamaran pushed off, under sail, and, passing close under the
+cutter's stern, hailed, inquiringly which way she was to steer.
+
+"Keep the land close aboard on your starboard hand all the way, and you
+cannot go wrong," answered Leslie, adding: "But I shall be after you in
+a few minutes, and will give you a lead."
+
+The catamaran stood out of the cove, and headed away to the eastward on
+the starboard tack; and a few minutes later Dick followed in the cutter.
+Within the cove, the breeze that came in over the overlapping headlands
+was light and baffling, yet the _Flora_ gathered way quickly and glided
+along at a pace that rejoiced Leslie's heart.  But when she passed
+outside beyond the shelter of the heads, and felt the full strength of
+the briskly blowing trade wind, her solitary navigator found that he
+would have his hands full when it presently came to working her.  For
+Simpson had hoisted the big jack-yard topsail, to give the sail a good
+stretching, and Dick had been too preoccupied to notice the fact; the
+little craft therefore made her first essay _in_ the open ocean under
+precisely the same canvas that she would show to the most gentle of
+breezes, whereas the trade wind was piping up quite fresh.  The breeze
+struck her with something of the suddenness and violence of a squall,
+with everything creaking and twanging to the violence of the strain, and
+the little craft heeled to it until her lee rail was buried and the
+water was halfway up the deck to her tiny skylight; but with a plunge,
+like that of a mettlesome horse to the touch of the spur, she darted
+forward, burying her sharp bows deep in the heart of the first sea that
+came sweeping down upon her, and in another moment she was thrashing
+along in the wake of the catamaran like a mad thing, leaping and
+plunging with long floaty rushes over the sharply running sea that
+overran the ponderous Pacific swell.  Within the first five minutes it
+became quite clear to Leslie that the catamaran was nowhere compared
+with this smart and handsome little ship, for to Dick the former craft
+seemed to sag away to leeward like an empty cask, while the cutter
+walked up to her as though the other had been at anchor.  By the time
+that the _Flora_ had overtaken the catamaran, the two craft had gained a
+sufficient offing to enable them to fetch the entrance channel on the
+next tack, and they accordingly hove about, the cutter whisking round
+with a celerity that gave Leslie as much as he could do to trim over the
+head sheets in time to catch a turn with them as she paid off on the
+other tack.  And now the _Flora_ ran away from the catamaran at such a
+rate that she had reached her anchorage and was just rounding into the
+wind to bring up when the other craft passed through the channel and
+entered the lagoon.  This little trip round from the cove to the lagoon
+had not only given the cutter's sails a nice stretching, but it had also
+stretched her new rigging to such an extent that Dick saw it would be
+quite necessary to set it up afresh all round before he started on his
+voyage, if he did not wish to risk the loss of his spars.  This,
+however, was a matter that would have to wait; he had something of an
+even more pressing nature that called for his immediate attention.
+
+By the time that the catamaran had arrived alongside the cutter, the
+latter's anchor was down and the jib and foresail taken in.  The big
+gaff topsail was next hauled down and carefully stowed away, and finally
+the mainsail was lowered, stowed, and the coat put over it.
+
+Then Dick jumped aboard the catamaran.  "I suppose you both have your
+revolvers?" he said to Nicholls and Simpson.  "Are they fully loaded?"
+The two men replied in the affirmative.  "Then up with your canvas," he
+commanded; "and we will be off to the barque and settle this business
+forthwith.  I will explain my plans to you as we go."
+
+With the cutter no longer sailing alongside her, the catamaran once more
+took rank as a fast-sailing and weatherly craft, and soon worked out to
+the spot where the _Minerva_ rode at anchor.  Dick, of course, by this
+time knew the curious craft well, and handled her with such consummate
+judgment that when at length he luffed her into the wind's eye and
+ordered her sails to be lowered, she just handsomely slid up alongside
+the barque and came to a standstill abreast her starboard gangway.
+
+"Look out there and catch a turn with this 'ere painter," exclaimed
+Simpson, tossing a rope's-end to a couple of men who peered down from
+the _Minerva's_ bulwarks upon the catamaran and her crew with mingled
+astonishment and dismay; and at the same moment Leslie and Nicholls made
+a spring for the barque's side-ladder, and, shinning up it, tumbled in
+on deck to the further discomfiture of the two men aforesaid, leaving
+Simpson to follow, which he promptly did.  The whole thing was done so
+smartly that the only two visible members of the barque's crew--who
+seemed to be quite slow-moving and slow-thinking men--were completely
+taken by surprise, and evidently knew not what to make of it.
+
+Meanwhile Leslie, with a single glance about the ship's deserted decks,
+seemed to grasp the situation intuitively.
+
+"Are you two men named Royston and Hampton?" he demanded.
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; that's us, sure enough," answered one of the two, with a
+visible appearance of relief for some reason best known to himself.
+
+"Unbuckle your belts and throw them down on deck," commanded Dick,
+quietly drawing a brace of revolvers somewhat ostentatiously from his
+side-pockets.
+
+"What for?" demanded one of the fellows.  "Who be you, mister, to come
+aboard here and order--"
+
+"Come, no nonsense," interrupted Leslie, sternly.  "You will do exactly
+what I order you to do, at once, and without hesitation, or it will be
+the worse for you.  You understand?"  And he levelled a pistol at the
+head of each man.
+
+Thus gently persuaded, the two men grumblingly did as they were told.
+And when the discarded belts were flung savagely to the deck, it was
+seen that attached to each was a formidable sheath-knife.
+
+"That's right," commented Nicholls, as he stepped forward, also with a
+brace of revolvers in his hands, and with a kick swept the two belts far
+along the deck beyond the reach of their owners.  "Now, come here, my
+joker, and let me tie you up," he continued, addressing one of the men
+as he flung a coil of the fore topgallant brace off its belaying-pin.
+
+"I'll be shot if I do!" exclaimed the man addressed, with a furious
+oath.
+
+"You will be shot if you _don't_" retorted Leslie, in a quiet,
+concentrated tone of voice that made the man addressed involuntarily
+shudder.  "It is no good, men," he continued, "your comrades are
+prisoners ashore and utterly powerless to help you.  The game is up.  We
+are here to regain possession of this ship, _and we mean to do it_.  And
+if either of you is foolish enough to offer resistance, you will be
+badly hurt."
+
+Leslie's stern and uncompromising manner had its effect; and the two
+men, realising their utter helplessness, sullenly and with many curses
+submitted to be bound--an operation that Nicholls performed with much
+gusto and an effectiveness that left nothing to be desired.  Then,
+leaving Simpson to mount guard over the grumbling pair, Dick and
+Nicholls went forward to the forecastle to call the remainder of the
+crew on deck, noticing, as they passed the galley door, that the Irish
+cook was busying himself inside with his pots and pans, and it was not
+difficult to discern that he was in a state of extreme mental
+perturbation.  Arriving at the forecastle hatch, they found the cover on
+and secured with a bar and padlock, whereupon Dick returned to the
+galley and, putting his head inside, said--
+
+"Dolan, I see that the fore scuttle is locked.  Who has the key?"
+
+"Sure, and it's Jack Hampton that has that same, sor," answered the cook
+with alacrity, and some surprise at Leslie's unaccountable familiarity
+with his name.  "And by the same token he also has the key of the main
+cabin and of Misther Marshall's stateroom, your honour's honour," he
+added.
+
+"Which of those two men is Jack Hampton?" demanded Leslie.
+
+"It's the fellah that's triced up so nately to the port rail, sor,"
+answered Dolan.
+
+"Then go you and take the keys out of his pocket," commanded Dick.  "I
+have no doubt you know which they are."
+
+"Ay, ay, sor; faith and I do that same," replied the man.
+
+And with ready officiousness he bustled out of the galley and, walking
+aft, to the spot where Hampton was lashed up, thrust his hand
+unceremoniously into the man's trousers pocket, withdrew a bunch of keys
+secured together upon a ropeyarn, and offered them to Leslie.
+
+Dick looked at them as they lay in the fellow's hand.
+
+"There are four keys there, I see," he said, "What are they?"
+
+"This," answered Dolan, "is the key of the forecastle hatch.  This, the
+key of the main cabin, which is locked.  This is the key of Misther
+Marshall's cabin.  And this is the key of the irons that's on the same
+gentleman's hands."
+
+"Very good," said Leslie.  "Now come forward with me, and unlock the
+forecastle."
+
+The man obeyed, and presently, in response to Dick's call, four very
+decent-looking young fellows came up on deck and stared about them in
+some bewilderment at the sight of three total strangers on board, and
+two of the mutineers in bonds.  From the forecastle Dick proceeded aft,
+still with the cook in company, and compelled the latter to unlock first
+the main cabin in which Reynolds was found confined, then the mate's
+cabin, and finally the irons on the latter's wrists.
+
+The mate of the _Minerva_, who proved to be a very smart-looking young
+fellow, with a keen, resolute expression, but drawn and haggard with
+anxiety, stared in amazement at the apparition of a total stranger in
+his cabin, who was evidently acting with authority.  But Leslie did not
+leave him much time for wonderment.
+
+"Mr Marshall," he said, "permit me to introduce myself.  My name is
+Leslie.  It has been my misfortune to be cast away on the island, a
+glimpse of which you have perhaps occasionally caught through your cabin
+port.  I have been on that island nearly ten months, and my preparations
+for leaving it were practically complete when your vessel entered the
+lagoon.  Naturally, I came off aboard to make the acquaintance of your
+skipper, and found the man Turnbull in command.  Knowing the fellow so
+well as you must, you will not be surprised to learn that, from what I
+saw, I quickly guessed there was something very seriously wrong aboard
+here; and a little judicious investigation soon enabled me to arrive at
+the actual facts.  I am now glad to inform you that, aided by my two
+companions, I have managed to recover possession of the ship for you,
+and have much pleasure in turning her over to you.  You will find
+Royston and Hampton, two of the mutineers, securely lashed to the rail,
+on deck, and doubtless you will lose no time in clapping them in irons.
+The other three--Turnbull, Burton, and Cunliffe--are prisoners ashore,
+at present, and if you are disposed to maroon them, they can, of course,
+remain there, as the island possesses ample resources in the shape of
+fruit, fish, and water, for their sustenance.  But if, on the other
+hand, you prefer to take them with you, I will bring them off aboard at
+any time that may be most convenient to you."
+
+"Thank you, Mr Leslie," answered Marshall, fervently, as he rose and
+stretched himself with obvious delight in his recovered freedom, "I am
+sure I don't know how I am to express my gratitude for the service that
+you've done me and the owners of this ship.  I'm afraid I shall have to
+leave it to them to do when we get home.  But I can repay you in a
+measure by offering you and your companions a passage to England, which
+I do now, with the greatest of pleasure.  And I'll do my level best to
+make the trip comfortable and pleasant for you.  As to Turnbull and the
+other two that you've boxed up ashore, of course I must take them along
+with me and hand them over to the authorities upon our arrival at
+Capetown, because, d'ye see, they're all guilty of the murder of poor
+Cap'n Hopkins.  So you can bring them off--or I'll send ashore for 'em--
+whenever you like.  And now, if you've no objection, we'll go out on
+deck, for, to tell you the truth, I'm just pining for a breath of fresh
+air."
+
+The poor fellow looked about him in amazement when, a minute later, he
+stood on the barque's poop and gazed thence at the lovely island, rich
+in verdure of every conceivable tint of green, and glowing here and
+there with patches of the vivid scarlet blossoms of the bois-immortelle,
+the whole bathed in the brilliant sunshine of a tropical day.  Nor was
+he less astonished at the sight of the handsome little cutter lying at
+anchor close in with the shore.  For this was the first time that he had
+ever been on deck since the day on which the island had been "made" from
+the barque's fore-yard; and everything was therefore absolutely new to
+him, save such slight glimpses as he had been able to catch through the
+port-hole of his cabin.  He was most anxious that Leslie and his two
+companions should remain on board and take dinner with him; but Dick was
+by this time quite as anxious to get back ashore and satisfy himself as
+to Flora's safe arrival.  So a compromise was made, and Marshall, having
+seen the two mutineers safely clapped in irons, gladly accepted Leslie's
+invitation to go ashore and take lunch with him.  They were still some
+distance from the beach when Flora was seen flitting busily about the
+camp; Leslie's anxiety therefore on her account was at an end.  And,
+after lunch, while Nicholls and Simpson went blithely to work upon the
+job of provisioning and watering the cutter, and stowing their several
+personal belongings on board, Leslie and Marshall took the catamaran and
+sailed round to the cove, from whence they proceeded to the cave, where
+they found Turnbull and his two companions still bound hard and fast,
+and by this time thoroughly subdued.  With some difficulty they
+succeeded in getting the three prisoners down the face of the cliff and
+aboard the catamaran; and, this done, their transference to the
+_Minerva_ and their confinement in irons was an easy matter.  The owners
+of the barque had made the grave mistake of sending her to sea without
+so much as a single weapon of any kind to aid her officers, if need be,
+to maintain order and discipline among the crew; but this was an
+omission that Leslie was fortunately in a position to easily remedy by a
+simple application to the case of firearms that had formed part of the
+_Mermaid's_ cargo, and he willingly supplied Marshall with a brace of
+revolvers and a sufficient quantity of ammunition for all practical
+purposes.  The party from the island--that is to say, Flora, Leslie,
+Nicholls, and Simpson--accepted a very pressing invitation from Marshall
+to dine and spend the evening on board the _Minerva_ in celebration of
+that vessel's recovery from the mutineers; and before they left again
+for the shore Captain Marshall made a long entry in the ship's official
+log, detailing the circumstances of her seizure and recapture, with full
+particulars of the part played by the steward in the latter--much to
+Reynolds' gratification; and Leslie attached his signature to the entry,
+in attestation of its truth.  Leslie also seized the opportunity to
+compare the chronometer saved from the _Mermaid_ with those belonging to
+the _Minerva_, and was much gratified to find that it was absolutely to
+be relied upon.  They returned to the camp about midnight, and turned in
+highly elated with the joyous knowledge that on the morrow they would
+actually be starting for home.
+
+As may be supposed, the whole party were early astir next morning;
+Nicholls and Simpson wending their way to the woods to collect a stock
+of fruit for the first few days of the voyage, while Flora prepared
+breakfast, and Leslie overhauled the entire camp to satisfy himself that
+he was not leaving behind him anything that would be of material service
+to him.  There were a few trifling matters that, at the last moment, he
+decided to take; and these he put into the barque's dinghy and thus
+carried off to the cutter.  By the time that he was back the two men had
+returned, laden with quite as much fruit as could be conveniently stowed
+away aboard so small a craft as the _Flora_; and this also they carried
+off and put on board.  Then came breakfast--their last meal on the
+island, and a happy, hilarious meal it was.
+
+Then, leaving everything just as it was, they all went down to the beach
+and stepped into the barque's gig, in which they pulled alongside the
+cutter.  Arrived there, they dropped overboard a heavy "killick" of rock
+which they had previously attached to the boat's painter, and thus
+anchored her in readiness for the _Minerva's_ crew whenever they might
+choose to fetch her.  To set the cutter's canvas was the work of a few
+minutes, and, this done, the anchor was quickly hove up and the little
+craft got under way.  On their way out of the lagoon they tacked close
+under the _Minerva's_ stern, receiving a cheery farewell hail of "A
+quick and pleasant passage to you!" from Marshall, who was walking the
+poop while his scanty crew were getting some water-casks into the
+longboat; and ten minutes later they dashed through the entrance
+channel, and found themselves riding buoyantly over the long undulations
+of the Pacific swell, as Leslie bore away to pass to the northward of
+the island and thence west over the interminable miles of water that lay
+between them and home.
+
+My story is told; for with the voyage of the _Flora_, adventurous though
+it was, this narrative has nothing to do; suffice it to say that having
+called at Tahiti and Tongatabu the little cutter safely passed Port
+Phillip Heads and arrived at Melbourne on the fifty-third day out from
+the island.  Here Leslie duly cashed his draft for one hundred pounds,
+and with the proceeds thereof secured for Flora a passage to Bombay,
+that young lady having decided to go on at once to her father--without
+waiting to visit her Australian friends--in order that the judge's
+natural anxiety to see his daughter after her singular adventure might
+be gratified with as little delay as possible.  And further to curtail
+that anxiety to its lowest limit, she despatched a cablegram to her
+father within an hour of her arrival in Melbourne.  As for Dick, he
+allowed his affairs to stand during the two days that elapsed between
+their arrival and Flora's departure, devoting himself entirely to her.
+
+But as soon as he had waved his last good-bye to her, he went to his
+hotel and wrote a long letter to his father's lawyers, detailing at
+length the events that had transpired subsequent to the wreck of the
+_Golden Fleece_, including the discovery and appropriation of the
+treasure, and of his intention to take it home in the cutter; leaving to
+their discretion the decision whether or no they would communicate the
+information to his father.  And, thin done, he forthwith re-victualled
+and re-watered the _Flora_, and cleared for Capetown, which was to be
+his next port of call.
+
+It was drawing on toward three o'clock in the afternoon of a glorious
+spring day when the cutter-yacht _Flora_, from Funchal, homeward-bound,
+came sliding unobtrusively into Weymouth harbour, where, having taken in
+her thin and almost worn-out sails, she modestly moored among a number
+of other yachts under the Nothe.  Perhaps it was her somewhat dingy and
+weatherworn appearance that caused her crew to avoid attracting to her
+any unnecessary attention, or possibly it may have been some other
+reason; at all events, to all inquisitive inquiries the bronzed and
+bearded trio who manned her merely replied that they had "been cruising
+to the south'ard."  To the custom-house officers they had of course to
+be a little more explicit; but even they were satisfied when, after a
+careful search of the craft's tiny cabins and forecastle, they were
+invited to sample a bottle of choice Madeira, on some four or five dozen
+of which Leslie willingly paid duty.  The next day her sails were unbent
+and she was taken up the Backwater and laid up, in charge of Simpson;
+and a month or two later her ballast was taken out of her and stowed
+away in a shed under which she also was hauled up.  A certain portion of
+this ballast was soon afterwards packed up somewhat carefully and
+conveyed to London by train; and eventually the little craft was sold.
+
+Meanwhile, however, Leslie had despatched a wire to his father's
+solicitors, announcing his arrival home; and that same evening he
+received a reply requesting him to go to town and call at the office of
+the senders on the following day without fail, as they had intelligence
+of the utmost importance to communicate to him.
+
+Of course he went; and upon his arrival was at once ushered into a
+private room.  There was but one individual in the apartment, a tall,
+handsome, grey-headed old gentleman of most aristocratic appearance, who
+rose to his feet in much agitation as Dick entered.
+
+"Father!" cried the younger man, in the utmost astonishment.  "My son!"
+exclaimed the elder; and their hands locked in a grip that was far more
+expressive than many words.
+
+"Dick, my son," at length exclaimed the Earl, when he had sufficiently
+overcome his agitation to speak, "let me be the first to congratulate
+you.  Your innocence has been fully proved!"
+
+A month later the man whom we have known as Dick Leslie was once more
+afloat, and on his way to Bombay on board a P. and O. liner.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
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