"unreachableness," daunts the
bravest heart and paralyses the strongest arm!

Llewellyn, the steward, managed to procure a light, which he did only
after much delay--the racket and uproar having apparently sent his
little wits wool-gathering--the cuddy looked the very picture of
desolation, almost leading to the belief that the sea had made a clean
breach through the sides of the ship in one of its rude onslaughts
dashing everything to pieces.

Fortunately, however, this was not the case, although the saloon
skylight had been carried away, gratings and all, and a considerable
amount of water had come down through the opening, which loomed now
above the semi-lighted space like a large hole broken in the deck; but,
by reason of the carrying away of the table and seats from their
lashings and ring-bolt fastenings and now being washed in a jumbled heap
to one side of the cuddy, the cabins to leeward were so completely
barricaded that their occupants were prevented from issuing forth. It
was from this quarter that the cries for help proceeded--the voice of
Mrs Major Negus, it need hardly be mentioned, predominating, although
the American passenger, who had a berth alongside that distinguished
lady, also sang out pretty loudly.

"Hullo, steward!" called out Mr Meldrum on seeing the light, having
already opened the door of his state-room, which had a sliding panel and
was undamaged as far as he could notice. "Why, what's the matter!"

"Only shipped a sea, sir," answered Llewellyn rather gruffly, for he was
annoyed at being roused from his sleep, "though from the row they're a-
making one would think we were all going to the bottom!"

"Much mischief done, eh?" asked Mr Meldrum, taking in at a glance the
havoc in the cuddy--"I mean on deck," he added.

"Can't say, sir," replied the other; "ain't had time to look about here
yet, much less to go up and see! It's a bad berth that o' steward to a
lot of bawling females on a passenger ship; I'd liefer--"

But, his grumblings were stopped for the moment by the renewed loud
screams of Mrs Major Negus--who was his pet aversion on board on
account of her giving him more trouble than all the rest combined, while
Master Maurice really was the plague of his life.

"Steward--stew-ard!" she cried, "Come here at once and get me out! I'm
all smothered and drowned, and nobody will help me! Stew-ard! I'm
dying--I'll tell the captain with my last breath. Stew-ard!"

"Sure I'm comi