gone," said Clem. "My kind
father, as I called him, and old Growl, and the rest of the poor
fellows; it is like singing over their graves."

"You are right, Clem," I said; "I will sing no more, though I only did
it to keep up your spirits. But what is that?" I exclaimed, suddenly,
as we rose to the crest of a sea. "A large ship standing directly for
us."

"Yes; she is close-hauled, beating down Channel," observed Clement.
"She will be right upon us, too, if she keeps her present course."

"We must take care to let her know where we are, by shouting together at
the top of our voices when we are near enough to be heard," I said.

"She appears to me to be a man-of-war, and probably a sharp look-out is
kept forward," Clement remarked. We had not observed the ship before,
as our faces had been turned away from her. The sea had, however, been
gradually working the mast round, as I knew to be the case by the
different position in which the moon appeared to us.

"We must get ready for a shout, Clem, and then cry out together as we
have never cried before. I'll say when we are to begin."

As the ship drew nearer Clem had no doubt that she was a man-of-war, a
large frigate apparently, under her three topsails and courses.

"She is passing to windward of us," I exclaimed.

"Not so sure of that," cried Clem. "She will be right over us if we do
not cry out in time."

"Let us begin, then," I said. "Now, shout away, Hip! Hip!"

"No, no!" cried Clem, "that will not do. Shout `Ship ahoy!'"

I had forgotten for the moment what to say, so together we began
shouting as shrilly as we could, at the very top of our voices. Again
and again we shouted. I began to fear that the ship would be right over
us, when presently we saw her luff up. The moon was shining down upon
us, and we were seen. So close, even then, did the frigate pass, that
the end of the mast we were clinging to almost grazed her side. Ropes
were hove to us, but the ship had too much way on her, and it was
fortunate we could not seize them. "Thank you," I cried out. "Will you
take us aboard?" There was no answer, and I thought that we were to be
left floating on our mast till some other vessel might sight us. We
were mistaken, though. We could hear loud orders issued on board, but
what was said we could not make out, and presently the ship came up to
the wind, the head yards were braced round, and she lay hove-to. Then
we saw a boat lowered. Ho