f that time to be picked up. He, in reality, in
consequence of anxiety, suffered more than the child: had he been alone,
he probably would not have felt so much.

The day passed away as before. Occasionally sea-birds flew overhead,
and huge fish were seen swimming by, or breaking the calm surface as
they poked up their noses or leaped into the air.

"Oh, Dick, Dick, what dat?" suddenly exclaimed Charley. As he spoke, a
dozen flying-fish, their wings glittering in the bright sun, leaped on
to the raft, some tumbling into the child's basket.

Dick quickly secured them, for though unwilling to feed the little boy
with raw fish, they would, he knew, afford him an ample meal or two.
Charley, however, begged to have some to play with, and was much
surprised to find their beautiful wings quickly become dry, and that in
a few seconds they were dead.

Dick enjoyed a better supper than he had had since the hurricane began,
and he always afterwards declared that those fish had kept his body and
soul, when he would otherwise have been starved--although those he
reserved for a meal on the following day required a keen appetite to
munch up.

Day after day Dick and his charge floated on the calm ocean. He was
becoming weaker than he had ever before been in his life, and yet he
would take but a few drops of water from the beaker, and would not eat a
particle of the food more than was necessary to keep the life in him, so
fearful was he of not having enough for Charley. Yet Dick had not been
distinguished among his shipmates for any especial good qualities,
except that he was looked upon as a good-natured, kind-hearted, jovial
fellow, and brave as the bravest; yet so were many of the _Laurel's_
gallant crew, now sleeping their last sleep beneath the ocean.

The faithful fellow now often found himself dropping off to sleep when
he wished to be awake--and afraid that on one of these occasions Charley
might get out of his basket and tumble overboard, to make such an
accident impossible, he tied him down by the legs in such a way as to
allow the child to sit up when inclined, and look about him.

Poor Dick, who was getting very weak, was lying down asleep with his
head on the edge of the basket, when he heard Charley's voice sing out--

"See, see--what dat?"

Dick opened his eyes, and casting them in the direction the child
pointed, caught sight of a large vessel under all sail running down
before the wind, which she brought