, but he was soon silenced by Miss
Herbey asserting her confidence that all would yet be well.

Curtis at once divided the crew into two sets, and made them work
incessantly, turn and turn about at the pumps. The men applied
themselves to their task with resignation rather than with ardour; the
labour was hard and scarcely repaid them; the pumps were constantly
getting out of order, the valves being choked up by the ashes and bits
of cotton that were floating about in the hold, while every moment that
was spent in cleaning or repairing them was so much time lost.

Slowly, but surely, the water continued to rise, and on the following
morning the soundings gave five feet for its depth, I noticed that
Curtis's brow contracted each time that the boatswain or the lieutenant
brought him their report. There was no doubt it was only a question of
time, and not for an instant must the efforts for keeping down the level
be relaxed. Already the ship had sunk a foot lower in the water, and as
her weight increased she no longer rose buoyantly with the waves, but
pitched and rolled considerably.

All yesterday, and last night, the pumping continued; but still the
sea gained upon us. The crew are weary and discouraged, but the second
officer and the boatswain set them a fine example of endurance, and the
passengers have now begun to take their turn at the pumps.

But all are conscious of toiling almost against hope; we are no longer
secured firmly to the solid soil of the Ham Rock reef, but we are
floating over an abyss which daily, nay hourly, threatens to swallow us
into its depths.

CHAPTER XXIII.

DECEMBER 2nd and 3rd.--For four hours we have succeeded in keeping the
water in the hold to one level; now, however, it is very evident that
the time cannot be far distant when the pumps will be quite unequal to
their task.

Yesterday Curtis, who does not allow himself a minute's rest, made a
personal inspection of the hold. I, with the boatswain and carpenter,
accompanied him. After dislodging some of the bales of cotton we could
hear a splashing, or rather gurgling sound; but whether the water
was entering at the original aperture, or whether it found its way in
through a general dislocation of the seams, we were unable to discover.
But whichever might be the case, Curtis determined to try a plan which,
by cutting off communication between the interior and exterior of the
vessel, might, if only for a few hours, render her h