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ample justice to it--he forthwith descended to the cabin in which the
skipper was lying; and, having knocked at the door without getting a
reply, entered.

It was the same cabin in which he himself had enjoyed some hours of
sleep after his long spell in the water, and Potter was lying stretched
at full length upon the bunk that he had previously occupied. A small
oil lamp, screwed to the bulkhead, afforded a fairly good light, by the
aid of which Leslie saw that the man was lying with his eyes wide-open,
and the eyeballs turned slightly upward, apparently staring at the deck
above him. But the gaze was without intelligence; and the fellow
appeared to be quite unconscious of his surroundings, for he took no
notice whatever of Leslie's entrance; nor did the eyes waver in the
least when the latter spoke to him, Leslie laid his hand upon the
forehead of his late antagonist, and found it cool to the touch,
although clammy with perspiration. Then he laid his fingers upon the
man's wrist, and felt for his pulse, which appeared to be normal.
Beyond the dazed condition which the man exhibited, there did not appear
to be much the matter with him; and when at length Leslie left him and
entered the main cabin--at the table of which he found Purchas and Miss
Trevor seated, discussing the viands before them--he said as much;
adding his opinion that the condition in which he found the skipper
would probably end in sleep, and that the man would no doubt be all
right in the morning. The conversation then turned to other matters,
the mate remarking that he supposed the skipper's indisposition meant an
all-night job on deck for him (the mate); whereupon Leslie expressed his
readiness to take charge of a watch until Potter should be able to
resume duty--an offer which Purchas gladly accepted. It was arranged
that, as the preceding night had been a very trying one for Leslie, he
should take the middle watch; and accordingly, when the meal was over,
as Miss Trevor, pleading fatigue, retired to the cabin that Potter had
given up to her, Leslie sought the seclusion of his quarters in the
longboat, which had been made ready for him, and was soon wrapped in
sound and dreamless sleep.

He was called at midnight by Purchas, who reported to him with some
uneasiness that there was no change in the skipper's condition. The
night was still beautifully fine, and the weather a flat calm; there was
therefore nothing calling for Leslie's immedia