ul wi' lookin'
glasses and white-and-gold panels, velvet cushions to the lockers, and a
big table o' solid mahogany, to say nothin' of a most handsome sideboard
wi' silver-plated fittin' up agin' the fore bulkhead. Then, on each
side of the main cabin, there was a row of fine sleepin' berths--six on
side--and four others abaft the after bulkhead, all of 'em fitted up
good enough for a hemperor. But there weren't nobody in 'em, in course;
they and the main cabin bein' up to a man's waist in water, all loppin'
about wi' the roll o' the ship, and fine cushions and what not floatin'
about fore and aft and athwartships. I couldn't find no papers nor
nothin' worth bringin' away wi' me--unless it were the aneroid,
tell-tale, and clock what was fixed to the coamin's where the skylight
had been, and I couldn't unship none o' them without tools; but the
tell-tale and the clock bore the name o' _Flying Eagle_--Philadelpy;
that I take to be the name an' port o' registry o' the craft."

"No doubt," agreed Leslie. "And how long do you think the craft had
been as you found her?"

"Well, not so very long, sir, I should say," answered Chips.
"Everything looked fairly fresh aboard of her; the paintwork weren't
noways perished-like wi' the wash of the water, and the polish on the
mahogany was pretty nigh as good as a man could wish; but the cushions
was certingly a good bit sodden. I should say, sir, as he'd been
desarted a matter o'--well, perhaps three or four days."

"Ah," commented Leslie, speaking to himself rather than to the
carpenter, "then it could not have been the same squall that struck us.
No, certainly not, the distance is altogether too great for that. It
means, however, that there has been bad weather in these regions of
late; so we will keep our weather eyes lifting lest we should be caught
unawares by a recurrence of it. Thank you, carpenter; you have done
very well. And now, if you will keep a look-out for a few minutes, I
will go below and enter a full account of the matter in the log-book
while the particulars are fresh in my memory."

Miss Trevor had all this time been looking after the dog, petting him
and making much of him, until the animal, revived and strengthened by
the food and drink that he had taken, had struggled to his feet and was
now staggering after her along the deck, as she slowly and carefully
induced him to take a little exercise. Then, after the lapse of about
an hour, she fed him agai