work, as may be
supposed, was not especially neat--indeed, we had to knot most of the
shrouds, as it was necessary to keep all the longer lengths of rope for
halliards, and we had none to spare.

I cannot stop to explain how we accomplished all this; we could not have
done it without employing tackles, which we brought to the windlass, and
thus gained twenty times as much power as we by ourselves possessed.

We were now pretty well tired and hungry, for, except some bread and
cheese and a jug of cold water, we had taken nothing all day.

It was with a feeling of awe that we went down into the cabin where the
old captain lay. Jim, however, closed the door of the state-room, so
that we could not see him. We then lighted the fire and cooked some
dinner--or rather supper, for evening was drawing on. Anxious to be
again at work, we hurried over the meal.

"I say, Peter, don't you think we ought to bury the skipper?" asked Jim,
after a long silence.

"Not for some days to come," I answered; "I hope that we may get into
port first, so as to lay him in a grave on shore."

"I don't think it will make much odds to him; and, to say the truth, now
he's dead, I'd rather he were out of the ship," said Jim; "they say it's
unlucky to have a dead man on board."

I had some difficulty in persuading Jim of the folly of such a notion,
but we finally agreed that we would try to carry the captain's body to
land.

Before bending sails we took a look down forward to see the condition of
the leaks. The handspikes were in their places, and, except a slight
moisture round the holes, we could not discover that any water was
getting in. Still there was a great deal too much in the brig for
safety, so we took another spell at the pumps before going on with the
rigging.

Darkness found us hard at work. We were too tired and sleepy to attempt
keeping a look-out, but I bethought me of hoisting a lantern at each
masthead, which would save us from being run down should a breeze spring
up during the night Jim thought the idea capital, and promised to get up
and trim the lamps.

Fortunately, the nights were short, so that there was not much necessity
for that. Our chief wish now was that the calm would continue for a few
hours during the next day, that we might get the brig to rights.

"One spell more at the pumps!" cried Jim.

We seized the brakes, worked till we could work no longer, then went
below, ate some food from the pantry,