"and if no help comes to us from the shore we may be
blown out to sea, and be worse off than before," said Jim.

The wind had fallen to an almost perfect calm, but what there was blew
out of the gulf, so that we could not hope to take the vessel up it,
while the breakers still burst in sheets of foam on the rocks, and we
lay tossed up and down by the glassy rolling seas. We were utterly
helpless.

While we were at breakfast a thought occurred to me.

"I'll tell you what we'll do, Jim," I said; "we'll build a raft, put the
poor old captain on it, take him ashore, and bury him. If we can find
no people or houses we'll go off again. The brig won't drift far away
in the meantime. If the wind will let us we'll run into the gulf, or if
it shifts to the northward we'll steer along shore to the south and look
out for another harbour. From what the captain said we may be sure
there is one not far off where we shall find people to help us."

Jim jumped at my proposal.

"That's it, Peter; when once the dead man is out of the brig things will
go better with us," he answered.

I did not stop to argue the point, but turned to at once with him to
form the proposed raft. We had plenty of spars below, so that our
undertaking was not so difficult as it would have been had we not had a
good supply. We first cut them into lengths with a saw we found below,
and having placed them side by side, lashed others across on the top of
them.

Eager as we were to finish our task, we had more than once to stop and
rest, for we were both very weak, and I felt a sensation of weariness I
had not ever before experienced. In fact, we were thoroughly knocked up
from the hard work we had gone through, and the little time we had had
for rest.

Having completed the raft and formed some paddles, we launched it
overboard and secured it alongside.

"Now, Jim," I said, "we must take some provisions, in case there are no
people on the island, as we may have a longer pull back than we may
like, and we have to bring up the captain and put him on the raft."

We quickly collected some provisions, and I took the empty water-jar
from the pantry.

"What's that for?" asked Jim. "There's water enough on shore, surely."

"Yes, but if we have a long pull back to the brig we shall be thankful
for water," I answered.

While thus employed we heard a voice coming from no great distance hail,
"Ship ahoy!"

My heart leapt within me at the sound, and run