breaking, and on and on we went, rushing through the darkness. At any
moment we might find ourselves, we knew, cast upon a reef, and the boat
dashed to pieces; but that risk, fearful as it was, must be run.

I asked Mudge if he could tell what o'clock it was.

"It's too dark to see the hands of my watch, but I judge that it is some
time past midnight," he answered.

I groaned, for I thought it must be nearly daybreak.

"God has taken care of us thus far, and he will take care of us, if he
thinks fit, till morning," observed Tillard; "we must not give in,
however bad things look."

At last day began to break. The wind blew as hard as ever, and no land
was visible--only the tumbling, foam-crested seas, amid which we flew,
were around us.

"Patience, lads," said Mudge; "all we can do is to stand on as we have
been going,--and we may be thankful that we have been preserved thus
far,--better to have no land, than to find ourselves close to a coral
reef with the sea dashing furiously over it." Which there was no
gainsaying.

After a time I again asked if I might serve out some food; to this Mudge
consented, charging me to be careful as to quantity.

After taking our scanty meal, most of us lay down to rest again.
Tillard having repeatedly begged Mudge to let him take the helm, Mudge
at last agreed to his offer, desiring to be called in a couple of hours,
or immediately should there be the slightest change; and in a moment,
almost, he was asleep.

Tillard ordered Tamaku to keep a look-out ahead, while we four younger
ones went to sleep. Before I did so, however, I took a look-out in
every direction in the hope of seeing the barque; but no sail was in
sight. Though the weather was much clearer than it had been on the
previous evening, the gale blew as heavily as at first; and in a couple
of hours Mudge started up and insisted on taking the helm again, while
Tillard lay down to obtain the rest he so much needed, I taking Tamaku's
place in the bows.

Thus we ran on for the greater part of the day, hoping every hour that
the wind would abate. Late in the afternoon I thought I saw land. I
told Mudge, who, standing up, observed that there was no doubt about it.
It was a small island directly in our course, so that we should have to
haul up to avoid it.

"If we do, we shall be swamped," said Mudge. "We must trust, therefore,
to find an opening in the encircling reef, if there is one; but if not,
to run into a