ashore securely as soon as the boats come off. My fears are for the
unfortunate vessel, the loss of which will be a sad blow to her skipper,
poor fellow, as he has staked his all in her!"

"But, Captain," she rejoined, "why do you look so serious?"

"Serious?" he repeated after her, the hard lines in his face at once
relaxing--"so would you, too, look serious, ma'am, if you thought of the
matter in the same light. You see, I can't help looking upon a ship as
a sort of living creature; and to think of a fine boat like this coming
to grief in such a lubberly fashion is enough almost to make one cry!"

His eyes blinked furiously as he said this, the bushy eyebrows above
moving up and down; and, taking out his bright bandana handkerchief, he
blew his nose with vigour, as if to give vent to his emotion,

Nellie, whose pale face had gained a little more colour since the
Captain's reassuring words to her aunt, now sidled up to him, catching
hold of his hand affectionately.

"But will the poor steamer really be lost?" she inquired timidly;
"wrecked, as sailors call it?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so with the pack of nincompoops we've got on board," he
growled. "They're talking of beaching her; and if so, with the wind
chopping round to the eastwards, as those porpoises you saw this morning
told us it will do by and by, for they're unfailing weather prophets
always, why, the unfortunate craft will lay her bones on the shingle.
She will, at all events, if any sort of a sea get up, or call me no
sailor!"

Bob, who on his return from the fore-part of the vessel in company with
Captain Dresser had stationed himself again by the engine-room hatchway,
here gave a shout.

"They're moving," he cried; "I see the piston going up and down, and the
shaft turning round!"

The rapid beat of the paddle-wheels on the water alongside gave
testimony to the truth of Bob's statement; but to Nell's surprise, no
churned-up foam came drifting by astern as before, and she couldn't make
it out.

The paradox, however, was made plain to her by Hellyer, who did not seem
to trouble himself much about the mishap, remaining seated on the
hamper, which he had placed by the after sponsing of the starboard
paddle-box. The coastguardsman, indeed, appeared as unconcerned
throughout all the fuss as if he were safe ashore in his own little
cabin on the beach; while Rover kept close beside him, as he had done
since Hellyer took charge of the hamper which he ha