ast."

It hardly needed the carpenter to tell the story, for the ship had a
heavy list to starboard. In a minute or two the stokers came up from
below and close upon their heels, the engineer.

"The water is close to the fire-boxes, Captain Murchison," he said.

"I know, Mr. Macdonald," the captain answered. "Boat stations!" he
cried.

"I'm thinkin'," the engineer said quietly, looking at the windy sky and
stormy sea, the last streaks of twilight disappearing in the west, "I'm
thinkin' it may be a wee bit cold. Are we far from land, Captain?"

"We're none too close," the skipper said shortly. "Cook," he called,
"are the boats provisioned?"

"Yes, sir," was the reply.

"Water-casks in and filled?"

Every boat reported casks in good condition.

"Sound the well, carpenter."

The sounding-rod was dropped and the wet portion measured.

"Nine inches, sir."

"You've got time to get what you want from below, boys," said the
captain, as soon as the boats were all swung out on the davits; "she
won't go down all of a hurry. Slide into warm clothes, all of you, and
get a move on. Stand by to clear."

He waited a minute or two, then noticed one of the sailors busy on deck.

"What are you doing there, Scotty?" he called out.

"Putting a buoy on the line, sir; she's our whale."

"Looks to me more as though the whale had us, than we had the whale,"
the captain said grimly. "Are you all ready?" he added as the men came
up from the fo'c'sle in oilskins and mittens. "No, there's only fifteen
of you!"

"I'm here, Captain Murchison," spoke up Colin, emerging from the
companion hatch with a heavy pilot coat. "I thought you'd need something
for the boats, too."

The captain nodded his thanks.

"Lower away the whale-boat first," the captain said. "Never mind me,
I'll come along presently. Look alive there! That's the idea, Hank! All
right? Cast off. Lower away the big pram! All right. Get busy on that
small pram, there. Here you, Gloomy, if I have to come down there----!
All ready? Lower away. If you don't manage any better than that you'll
never see land, I can tell you. Cast off."

The _Gull_ was rolling heavily with an uneven drunken stagger that told
how fast she was filling, and the starboard rail was close to the
water's edge. The captain ran his eye over the boats and counted the men
to see that all had embarked safely.

"Don't bring her too close, Hank!" he cried warningly, as he saw the old
whaler edge the