praise went up to Heaven in return.
Patter, patter, patter; down came a shower, a rain--a heavy, steady rain.
With cries of joy, they put out every vessel to catch it; they lowered
the sail, and, putting ballast in the center, bellied it into a great
vessel to catch it. They used all their spare canvas to catch it. They
filled the water-cask with it; they filled the keg that had held the
fatal spirit; and all the time they were sucking the wet canvas, and
their own clothes, and their very hands and garments on which the
life-giving drops kept falling.
Then they set their little sail again, and prayed for land to Him who had
sent the wind and rain.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE breeze declined at sunset; but it rained at intervals during the
night; and by morning they were somewhat chilled.
Death had visited them again during the night. Prince was discovered dead
and cold; his wounds were mere scratches, and there seems to be no doubt
that he died by gorging himself with more food than his enfeebled system
could possibly digest.
Thus dismally began a day of comparative bodily comfort, but mental
distress, especially to Miss Rolleston and Mr. Hazel.
Now that this lady and gentleman were no longer goaded to madness by
physical suffering, their higher sensibilities resumed their natural
force, and the miserable contents of the blood-stained boat shocked them
terribly. Two corpses and two wounded men.
Mr. Hazel, however, soon came to one resolution, and that was to read the
funeral service over the dead, and then commit them to the deep. He
declared this intention, and Cooper, who, though wounded, and apparently
sinking, was still skipper of the boat, acquiesced readily.
Mr. Hazel then took the dead men's knives and their money out of their
pockets, and read the burial service over them; they were then committed
to the deep. This sad ceremony performed, he addressed a few words to the
survivors.
"My friends, and brothers in affliction, we ought not to hope too much
from Divine mercy for ourselves; or we should come soon to forget Divine
justice. But we are not forbidden to hope for others. Those who are now
gone were guilty of a terrible crime; but then they were tempted more
than their flesh could bear; and they received their punishment here on
earth. We may therefore hope they will escape punishment hereafter. And
it is for us to profit by their fate, and bow to Heaven's will. Even when
they drew their kn
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