ious star-lit heaven, and
the silence of the ocean through which we are gliding, impress me too in
a way I cannot explain. But tell me now, my boy, are you sorry we
came?"

"Sorry!" cried Jack excitedly, as he caught at his father's arm. "No;
glad."

That night the melody of one of the old West-country ditties the men had
sung in parts seemed to lull Jack Meadows to rest, and he slept one of
those deep healthy slumbers which give us the feeling when we awake on a
bright sunny morning, that a strange vigour is running through our
veins, and that it is a good thing to live.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

DOCTOR INSTOW PAINTS A PICTURE--WITH HIS TONGUE.

A quick run with a favourable wind across to Colombo, a very brief stay,
and then on again. There were baffling winds and a sharp storm, during
which it was found necessary to get up steam, but the yacht was as good
in foul weather as in fair, and to Jack's great satisfaction he found
that, in spite of the pitching and tossing of the vessel, he was not
ill, but found a strange pleasure in being on deck in mackintosh and
leggings, watching the yacht careen over and race through the foam.
Every now and then a wave would appear gliding along like some huge bank
of water, ready to roll over them and sweep the deck, but the
well-trained hands at the wheel sent her racing up the watery slope, to
hang poised for a few moments and then rush down again.

"Isn't it glorious, Jack, my lad?" said the doctor, wiping the spray out
of his eyes and off his beard, just in the height of the storm. "I
don't know how you find it, but it excites me."

"I like it," said Jack quietly; "it seems so grand, and as if the yacht
was laughing at the waves and tossing them off to right and left. I
wonder whether Captain Bradleigh would let me steer."

"I hope not," said the doctor, with a droll look of puzzledom in his
face. "Why, what's come to you, you reckless young scamp? No, thank
you. If you're going to be indulged in any luxuries of that kind, I'm
going to land at Penang or Singapore, and make my way home by the next
boat that touches."

Jack laughed.

"Don't believe it," he said. "But doesn't it seem as if it would be
nice to have full command of the yacht like that, and send her here and
there just as one liked?"

"Can't say that my desires run in that groove, Jack, my lad; I'm quite
content to play the part of looker-on. But this storm is grand, and
it's splendid to see how