urple waves with wistful eagerness, murmuring, "The last time, the last
time!" Then as the solemn darkness swept down over the sea, and the
stars came out one by one in the great blue vault above, the little
consciousness of his surroundings which he hitherto retained left him,
and he fell to murmuring snatches of songs, mingled with babblings of
his childhood's days. The word "mother" was frequently upon his lips,
and once he burst into a passion of hysterical tears, murmuring,
child-like, that "he was very sorry; and that, if she would forgive him,
he would be a good boy for the future, and would never do it again."

This state of things gravely alarmed George, who began to fear that the
last great solemn change was at hand. It was therefore with a feeling
of intense relief that he heard a hail of "Sail, ho!" from Tom, whose
sharp eyes had at last caught sight of a genuine and unmistakable sail
broad on the boat's lee bow.

There was nothing, however, to be done but to carefully watch the helm
of the boat; she was already under canvas and steering the best course
possible for intercepting the stranger; the only thing, therefore, was
to steer _straight_, otherwise the chances were that the ship would be
missed, after all. The strange sail was steering about east-south-east,
being close-hauled on the larboard tack, and, from her position, George
thought it just possible that he might intercept her, or, at all events,
near her sufficiently to permit of her crew hearing his hail as they
passed.

As the night deepened, the breeze freshened, and by the time that the
strange sail had been in sight half an hour it was blowing so fresh that
it was as much as they could do to keep the lee gunwale above water.
Yet they dared not shorten sail, for the breeze which was threatening at
every moment to capsize them was also hurrying the stranger more rapidly
along, and consequently lessening their chances of intercepting her.
Thick clouds, too, began to gather in the sky, threatening more wind,
and, by obscuring the light of the moon, rendering it just so much the
more unlikely that the crew of the approaching vessel would see them.

At last a heavy squall burst about a mile to windward of them, and
George was reluctantly compelled to order Tom forward to shorten sail.
Unfortunately the halliards had somehow got jammed aloft in the sheave,
and the sail would not come down. Tom tugged and tugged at it
desperately, but all to n