that
cheered us during the dangerous time we had to go through."

"And how did it all happen, how did it all happen, Mr Charles?"
exclaimed Mrs Clagget, as soon as she thought he and his sisters had
kissed and welcomed him sufficiently, as she called it. "We're dying to
know how it happened, for we never expected to see you again."

"I hope soon to tell you my story," answered Charles, "but I must shake
hands first with the friends who are wishing to speak to me."

Mr Paget was among the foremost to welcome Charles, the rest of the
passengers following, and expressing their pleasure at seeing him again.

"Now, Charles, you must know that I am very angry with you for jumping
into that boat," exclaimed Mrs Clagget. "The only way you can make
your peace with me is to tell me your story at once. I can't let you go
and describe all to your sisters and other people, and allow me to have
it second-hand."

Charles laughed. "I must not disappoint you, then, Mrs Clagget," he
said. "But were I to give you more than the outline of my adventures, I
should have to spin you too long a yarn; so you must excuse me if I
somewhat curtail my story. Soon after we shoved off from the ship, we
saw the lifebuoy, and Tom Bowline, the man who had fallen overboard,
clinging to it, and driving away to leeward. We followed, and not
without difficulty got him at last on board. We then attempted to
secure the buoy, and while so doing, a heavy sea broke over us, and
nearly swamped the boat. She had, we found, so slight a hold of the
water that she drifted away even faster than the lifebuoy. One of the
oars had been broken, and another was carried away while we were trying
to haul in the lifebuoy. We thus in vain attempted to pull back to the
ship, and found ourselves every instant increasing our distance from
her. Sometimes, as we sank into the trough of the sea, she was hidden
from our sight, and we knew, consequently, that we could not be seen
from her deck; besides this, from the colour of the boat, when we were
on the crest of the sea, we were well aware that she could scarcely be
distinguished from the foaming water around. At length we saw the yards
swung round, and then we knew that we must have been given up for lost.
To reach her was impossible. You may fancy, my dear sisters, how
acutely I felt for you, knowing the grief my supposed loss must cause
you. That, indeed, was the hardest thing to bear. Our hopes revived
when