a regular trump, and the
seamen shall all know it, and the officers too."

"We must get on board the ship first," replied I, "and we are a long way
from it just now."

"We're all right, and I have no fear. If we don't see a vessel we shall
fetch the land somewhere before to-morrow morning, and it don't look as
if there would be any more bad weather. I wonder if they have sent
anything out to look after us?"

"What's that?" said I, pointing astern, "it's a sail of some kind."

"Yes," said Peggy, "so it is; it's a square-rigged vessel coming up the
Channel--we had better get on the other tack, and steer for her."

We wore the boat round and ran in the direction of the vessel; in three
hours we were close to her; I hailed her as she came down upon us but no
one appeared to hear us or see us, for she had lower studding-sails set,
and there was no one forward. We hailed again, and the vessel was now
within twenty yards, and we were right across her bows; a man came
forward, and cried out, "Starboard your helm," but not in sufficient
time to prevent the vessel from striking the wherry, and to stave her
quarter in; we dropped alongside as the wherry filled with water, and we
were hauled in by the seamen over the gunwale, just as she turned over
and floated away astern.

"Touch and go, my lad," said one of the seamen who had hauled me on
board.

"Why don't you keep a better look out?" said Peggy Pearson, shaking her
petticoats, which were wet up to the knees. "Paint eyes in the bows of
your brig, if you haven't any yourself. Now you've lost a boatful of
red-herrings, eggs, and soft tommy--no bad things after a long cruise;
we meant to have paid our passage with them--now you must take us for
nothing."

The master of the vessel, who was on deck, observed that I was in the
uniform of an officer. He asked me how it was we were found in such a
situation? I narrated what had passed in few words. He said that he
was from Cadiz bound to London, and that he would put us on shore at any
place up the river I would like, but that he could not lose the chance
of the fair wind to land me anywhere else.

I was too thankful to be landed anywhere; and telling him that I should
be very glad if he could put me on shore at Sheerness, which was the
nearest place to Chatham, I asked leave to turn into one of the cabin
bed-places, and was soon fast asleep.

I may as well here observe, that I had been seen by the sentry abaft to