ft of wind, broke and shattered
in a whirl of confusion. For a time we laboured through the
treacherous cross sea--the barque fretting and turning to windward,
calling for all of 'Dutchy's' cunning at the helm, but it was none so
ill with the sun in sight and a clearing overhead.

"Blast ye," said the Old Man, shaking his benumbed arms towards the
sou'-west. "Blast ye--but ye've been a long time comin'!"

The wind was now to his liking, it was the weather he had looked for,
and sure enough, as quick succeeding squalls rolled up on us, the sea
grew less and ran truer, and the barque sailed easier. The wind fell
to a moderate gale, and by four in the afternoon we had a reefed
foresail and the tops'ls set, and were staggering along at a great
speed.

The decks were yet awash, there was no comfort on deck or below; but
through it all we had one consoling thought: _East, half south_, we
were covering the leagues that lay between us and our journey's end!

XVII

ADRIFT!

Car-conducting may be a work of niceness and despatch, but it is ill
training for working on the spars of a rolling ship. John Cutler was
mousing clew-blocks on the main-yardarm, the ship lurched heavily, the
foot-ropes were wet and slippery, and John, ill-balanced and unready,
was cast into the sea. Instant, there was the cry "Man overboard"; the
Old Man ordered the helm down, and, springing to the rack, threw a
lifebuoy from the starboard quarter; the Second Mate, not seeing him
throw it, threw another from the port.

We were below at the time, just after dinner, about to turn in, when we
heard the call. All hands ran on deck. The watch were swinging the
head yards; some were unlashing the lee boat. We joined them, tore the
cover off, hooked the tackles, and swung her out. There was confusion;
the Old Man and the Mate shouting cross orders, the boat swinging
wildly on the tackles, men crowding about the rail.

"Another hand in the boat," yelled the Second Mate, as he sprang into
the stern-sheets, "lower away, you!"

There was a whirr of block sheaves, the falls smoking on the pins, a
splash, a rush of water on the rusty side. "Bow off, there! Bow off,
you!" and I found myself in the bow of the boat, tugging frantically at
the heft of a long oar.

There was that in the steady _clack--clack-a_ of oar on rowlock to
soothe the tremors of our moment of excited haste. Astern was the
barque, her mainyards aback, rolling heavily athwa