nd covered
her face up with her hands.

"I thought it was a dream, and was going to tell Jim all about it, at
breakfast," said she, sorrowfully, "but it's all true--true as gospel.
What will become of me? We are lost, lost, lost!"

"We are not lost, but we should have been lost this night if I had been
as drunk as you have been," replied I; "I've had work enough to keep the
boat above water, I can tell you."

"That's truth," replied she, rising up and taking a seat upon the thwart
of the boat. "God, forgive me, poor wretch that I am: what will Jim
think, and what will he say, when he sees my best bonnet in such a
pickle?"

"Are you quite sure that you'll ever see Jim again, or that you'll ever
want your best bonnet?" replied I.

"That's true. If one's body is to be tossed about by green waves, it's
little matter whether there's a bonnet or shawl on. Where are we, do
you know?"

"I can just see the land out there," replied I, pointing astern. "The
sea is smooth; I think we could ship the foremast, and get sail upon
her."

The young woman stood up in the boat.

"Yes," said she, "I'm pretty steady; I think we could. Last night in
the dark and the tossing sea I could do nothing, but now I can. What a
blessing is daylight to cowards like me--I am only afraid in the dark.
We must put some sail upon the boat, or nobody will see us. What did
you do with the bladder of liquor?"

"Threw it overboard," replied I.

"Had you courage to do that?--and watching through the the night so wet
and cold. Well you did right--I could not have done it. Oh! that
liquor--that liquor; I wish there wasn't such a thing in the world, but
it's too late now. When I first married James Pearson, and the garland
was hung to the main-stay of the frigate, nobody could persuade me to
touch it, not even James himself, whom I loved so much. Instead of
quarrelling with me for not drinking it, as he used to do, he now
quarrels with me for drinking the most. If you'll come forward, sir,
and help me, we'll soon get up the foremast. This is it, you see, with
the jib passed round it. Jim often says that I'd make a capital sailor,
if I'd only enter in man's clothes--but as I tell him, I should be put
up at the gangway, for not being sober, before I'd been on board a
week."

We contrived to ship the mast, and set the jib and foresail. As soon as
the sheets were hauled aft, my companion took the steering lines,
saying, "I know how to ma