ne eye open. If a breeze came, it would shake the mainsail and rattle
the sheet-blocks near my head, and wake me. I had been up half of the
preceding night with Mrs. Whippleton, and I was very tired myself. I
could not foresee what would happen within the next few days, and I
deemed it prudent to economize my strength.

So far as the wind was concerned, my calculation was correct. It did
shake the mainsail, and rattle the sheet-blocks, and I was aroused from
my slumbers. I raised myself upon my bed, to assure myself that the
Florina was still near me. That was the very thing, however, of which I
could not assure myself. In fact she was not near me. I sprang to my
feet, and felt that I had made a blunder, but such a one as Mr.
Whippleton would not charge upon me. The Marian was adrift, and the
breeze was carrying her farther up the lagoon, where she might get
aground. My first care was to secure her from any such accident, which
would indeed have been a catastrophe to me. All I had to do was to put
the helm down, and bring the yacht up into the wind, which came only in
light puffs. It was from the westward, and I had just slant enough to
enable me to lay a course towards the lake.

As soon as I got her head to the breeze, I hoisted the jib. Seating
myself at the helm, I studied the course, and kept a sharp lookout
ahead for the Florina. I was satisfied that the first breath of wind
had waked me, and that the other yacht could not be far from me. In a
few moments I was assured of the correctness of my calculation, for I
discovered the Florina behind a point of land. She had come thus far
without hoisting her jib, and had not been able to lay very close to
the wind. Mr. Whippleton knew the navigation of the lagoon, and had run
his yacht where I should not have dared to go. Probably he had not
hoisted his jib before, lest the noise of it should wake me; but I saw
it go up almost as soon as I caught sight of her.

I do not like to accuse other people of making blunders, but I was sure
that Mr. Whippleton had made one in not standing directly out of the
lagoon; but doubtless he expected to have his own time for the
operation. As it was, I had the weather-gage of him. He had run over to
leeward so far, with a projecting point of land between him and the
mouth of the creek, that I should be off the headland before he could
reach it.

I rubbed my hands with delight when I realized the situation, and saw
that I could not help