be
no better nor brute beasts if we weren't to act as how you advises, eh,
lads?"

"Aye, aye," chorused the rest affirmatively.

"That's all right then," said Captain Miles. "You can see I don't want
to stint you, for I've only given you these few supplies to carry you on
until we can get to the ship's stores in the main hold. You may go
forward now, and I'd recommend you to get out all your duds and hang 'em
out to dry as soon as you can, so as to have a shift bye and bye, and
that'll do you as much good as the grub."

The hands then retired from the cabin, leaving only the captain and Mr
Marline and I there, Jackson going out into the waist too, in order to
draw some water and serve it out by the captain's directions.

"Oh, Captain Miles!" I exclaimed when we were thus left together, "all
my clothes are spoilt."

"And oh, Master Tom!" he retorted, "how about my poor chronometers?
They've stopped and will never go again, I suppose, till they've been
put in dry dock in London and had a thorough overhaul, salt water not
agreeing with their constitutions as it does with some folk. By Jove,
though, Marline, I never thought of that before. I shall be puzzled how
to get my longitude bye and bye, I fancy."

"My old watch is going, sir," said the mate. "I set it by the ship's
time before our capsize, and it goes pretty correctly, for I didn't
forget to wind it up all the time we were spread-eagling on the
bulwarks."

"You didn't?" cried the captain. "You're a wonderful fellow, Marline,
and you ought to be Archbishop of Canterbury or something! You say you
set it by the ship's time on Thursday?"

"I don't know what day it was, sir, but it was the last time you took
the sun," replied the other.

"Then, at that time, I recollect, we were in 32 degrees north latitude
and 40 degrees west longitude. Ha, humph, I see! That will give us
pretty well the time at Greenwich, with a little deduction. It's all
right, Marline, I have it. Mind, though, you don't let the old turnip
run down."

"Turnip, indeed!" exclaimed Mr Marline in pretended indignation,
winking at me. "Just you hear him, Master Tom!"

"Well, well, I beg its pardon and yours," said the captain laughing;
"but, let us get out of this disgraceful hole and go out on deck to see
what the weather is like. Jake!"

"Iss, massa," replied the darkey, who, I forgot to mention, remained
behind when the rest of the crew went forwards.

"I'm going to make