st the masts, and the sight of the same cloudless sky and endless
expanse of tumid sea, with surface unbroken by the tiniest ripple, save
when a dolphin leaped out of the water or a fairy nautilus glided by in
his frail shell craft--were longing for the advent of the north-east
trades, which Captain Dinks had expected them to "run into" ever since
they lost their first favourable wind, there came a visitor to the
_Nancy Bell_, the most dreaded of all the perils of the deep--Fire!

Eight bells had just been struck in the morning watch; and the
passengers were just preparing for breakfast--that is, such as were late
risers, like Mrs Major Negus and Mr Lathrope, neither of whom turned
out earlier than was necessary. Those who knew what was the healthiest
plan, like Mr Meldrum and his daughters, had been up and out more than
an hour before, walking up and down the poop and getting up a vigorous
appetite for the first meal of the day.

The captain had not long come up the companion; and, after looking aloft
and to the northward, scanning the horizon around, had stepped up to the
binnacle, where he stood contemplating the compass hopelessly, as if he
had given up all idea of the wind coming, while the hands of the watch
on duty were listlessly idling about the waist of the ship, dead weary
of having nothing to do.

The cook, apparently, was the only really busy person on board at the
time, for he could be seen popping in and out of his galley forwards,
handing dishes to Llewellyn, the steward, to bring aft for the cuddy
table. The darkey seemed bathed in perspiration, and looked as if he
found cooking hot work in latitudes under the constellation of the Crab,
whither the vessel had drifted.

All at once, however, a change came over the scene.

As the steward was passing the main hatch in his second journey aft to
the saloon, he noticed a thin column of smoke ascending from the main
hold, where the principal portion of the cargo was stowed. Like a fool,
although it might have been pleaded for him that he was constitutionally
nervous, he let fall the dishes he was carrying on a tray, in his fright
at the sight of this evidence of a conflagration below, instead of going
quietly up to the captain and telling him what he had seen; and, to make
matters worse, he called out at the same time in terrified accents, as
loud as he could bawl--"Fire! fire! the ship's on fire!"

Had a thunderbolt burst on board, or had the vessel s