," laughed Leslie; "I think you may trust me to
take care of this three-decker of yours. But if anything happens, and I
find myself at a loss, I will not fail to call you. Good night!"

And, so saying, Leslie left the cabin and, making his way up on deck,
took a sailor-like look at the brilliantly star-lit sky that stretched
cloudless all round the brig from zenith to horizon, as he thoughtfully
filled and lit his pipe.

To tell the truth, he was less easy in his mind touching Potter's
condition than he had allowed Purchas to see. That the man was
something more than merely stunned was now undeniable; and although the
injury might not in itself be serious, the complete ignorance of Purchas
and himself in relation to medical and surgical matters might possibly
lead to wrong treatment that, in its turn, might result in complications
ending, who could say where? Of course the man had only himself to
thank for it; his conduct had been provocative to the last degree; yet
Leslie had been animated by no vindictive feeling when he had attacked
the man, still less had he intended to inflict any serious injury upon
him; he had, indeed, acted solely in self-defence in taking the fellow's
revolver away from him; and as to the violence that had accompanied the
act--well he himself considered it perfectly excusable under the
circumstances; and so, he believed, would any unprejudiced person.
Nevertheless, he regretted the incident; he would much rather that it
had not happened; and while dismissing the subject from his mind, for
the moment, he resolved that henceforth he would keep himself much
better in hand in his dealings with the man.

The calm continued throughout Leslie's watch; and when at eight bells he
turned over the charge of the deck to Purchas, the brig, save for an
occasional lazy and almost imperceptible heave on the now invisible
swell, was as motionless as a house.

When, however, Purchas called him at seven bells--thus allowing him time
to wash and dress in readiness for breakfast at eight o'clock, Leslie
found, upon turning out, that while the morning was as gloriously fine
as the preceding night had been, the brilliant blue of the sky overhead
was streaked here and there with light touches of cirrus cloud, the
forerunners of a breeze that was already wrinkling the surface of the
azure sea and causing it to sparkle as though strewed with diamond dust
in the wake of the sun, while it just filled the brig's sai