At length Cape Saint Antonio appeared
in sight; and, weathering it, the course was altered to south-east.
Once more they were out of sight of land. Mr Collinson had showed all
of them the chart, that they might the better understand where they were
going, and that the progress they had made might keep up their spirits.
They had still a passage of some four or five hundred miles before them;
but though their vessel was somewhat leaky, and even with a good breeze
they could not make more than three or four knots an hour, still, as
Bill observed, "it must some day or other come to an end."

The brig was now about mid-way between the main land of Central America
and Cuba, when the wind, which had been for some time light, dropped
altogether. In vain old Grim growled; in vain Jack whistled for a
breeze. The water they had brought on board, as well as that in the
cask, was almost exhausted.

"It will be pretty well time to be getting this cask filled again,"
observed old Grim, as he drew out a tin cupful of water. "I will just
go down below, and see about getting up another."

He was a considerable time absent, hunting about with a lantern in his
hand. At length he came up again, with a look of dismay on his
countenance.

"Jack," he said, "do you know I have been hunting from stem to stern,
and not a cask, which looks as if it had water in it, can I find?"

Mr Collinson, who was steering at the time, guessed from the looks of
the men that something was wrong.

"We ought to have economised it more," he observed; "it was wrong in me
not to warn you. However, we must make the most of what we have got;
and perhaps in another search we may be more fortunate."

"I will have a look," said Jack; "and here, Bill, you come with me."

Jack and Bill hunted about as old Grim had done. At length, he appeared
under the hatchway, and shouted out--

"Here's a cask of some sort, at all events: it contains liquor, if it
does not contain water."

The cask was got up.

"You must promise me, lads, if that cask contains spirits, not to drink
it. Let's broach it, however, and see."

On a hole being bored, wine spouted out.

"We should be thankful for this," said Mr Collinson, "it is light
claret, and a small quantity will probably do us all good."

It was arranged that a pint of wine only should be taken by each of them
every day. This would save the consumption of water.

"I would rather it had been water," said old Grim;