nd without
compass!"

"Without shelter and compass, Mr Shipton!" said Jim Slagg, who had
hitherto listened in silence to the conversation; "why, what d'ye call
this?" (taking hold of the sail). "Ain't that shelter enough, and
won't the sun guide us by day and the stars by night. It seems to me
that you are too despondin', Mr Shipton."

"Don't `mister' me any more, Slagg. It was all very well aboard ship
where we had our relative positions, but now we are comrades in
distress, and must be on an equal footing."

"Very good," replied Slagg, looking round in his comrades' faces, and
raising his voice as if making a speech. "Bein' equal, as you say, I
takes the liberty o' callin' a general meetin' o' this free and--if I
may be allowed the expression--easy Republic. Moreover, I move myself
into the chair and second the motion, which, nobody objectin', is
carried unanimously. Gentlemen, the business of this here meetin' is to
appoint a commander to this here ship, an' what could be more in
accordance with the rule o' three--not to mention the rules o' four and
common sense--than a Shipton takin' command. Who's goin' to make the
first reslootion?"

Entering into the spirit of the thing, Robin moved that Samuel Shipton
be appointed to command the ship and the party, with the title of
captain.

"And without pay," suggested Slagg.

"And _I_ move," said Stumps, who was just beginning to understand the
joke, though a little puzzled by the fact that it was done in earnest,
"I move that Robin Wright be first leftenant."

"Brayvo, Stumps!" cried Slagg, "your intellec' _is_ growin'. It on'y
remains to appoint you ship's monkey and maid-of-all-work--specially
dirty work--and, then, with a hearty vote o' thanks to myself for my
conduct in the chair, to vacate the same an' dissolve the meetin'."

These matters having been satisfactorily settled, the castaways
proceeded to prepare breakfast, and while this was being done the
recently appointed captain looked once more anxiously round in the hope
of seeing the large raft with their late shipmates on it, but it was not
to be seen. Neither raft, ship, nor any other sign of man wos visible
on all the glittering sea.

Breakfast was not a tempting meal. The biscuits were, indeed, as good
as ship's biscuits ever are, and when moistened with sea water formed a
comparatively pleasant as well as strengthening food; but the barrel of
pork was raw; they had no means of cooking it