now under the command
of a conscientious, energetic man, who will shirk nothing that he
believes to be for our common good. M. Letourneur, Andre, Mr. Falsten,
and myself immediately offered him our best wishes, in which Lieutenant
Walter and the boatswain most cordially joined.

The ship still holds her course south-west and Curtis crowds on all
sail and makes as speedily as possible for the nearest of the Lesser
Antilles.

CHAPTER XIII.

OCTOBER 24th to 29th.--For the last five days the sea has been very
heavy, and although the "Chancellor" sails with wind and wave in her
favour, yet her progress is considerably impeded. Here on board this
veritable fireship I cannot help contemplating with a longing eye this
vast ocean that surrounds us. The water supply should be all we need.

"Why not bore the deck?" I said to Curtis. "Why not admit the water by
tons into the hold? What could be the harm? The fire would be quenched;
and what would be easier than to pump the water out again?"

"I have already told you, Mr. Kazallon," said Curtis, "that the very
moment we admit the air, the flames will rush forth to the very top of
the masts. No; we must have courage and patience; we must wait. There is
nothing whatever to be done, except to close every aperture."

The fire continued to progress even more rapidly than we had hitherto
suspected. The heat gradually drove the passengers nearly all, on deck,
and the two stern cabins, lighted, as I said, by their windows in the
aft-board were the only quarters below that were inhabitable. Of these
Mrs. Kear occupied one, and Curtis reserved the other for Ruby, who,
a raving maniac, had to be kept rigidly under restraint. I went down
occasionally to see him, but invariably found him in a state of abject
terror, uttering horrible shrieks, as though possessed with the idea
that he was being scorched by the most excruciating heat.

Once or twice, too, I looked in upon the ex-captain. He was always calm
and spoke quite rationally upon any subject except his own profession;
but in connexion with that he prated away the merest nonsense. He
suffered greatly, but steadily declined all my offers of attention, and
pertinaciously refused to leave his cabin.

To-day, an acrid, nauseating smoke made its way through the panellings
that partition off the quarters of the crew. At once Curtis ordered the
partition to be enveloped in wet tarpaulin, but the fumes penetrated
even this, and filled