as quite large enough to be a desert of sea and
sky to the little crew of an open boat, even though they were favoured by
the weather. Otherwise, indeed, they must have perished in the first
storm. They durst not sail except by night, and then only with northerly
winds, nor could there be much rest, since they could not lay to, and
drift with the currents, lest they should be carried back to the African
coast. Only one of the three men could sleep at a time, and that by one
of the others taking both oars, and in time this could not but become
very exhausting. It was true that all the coasts to the north were of
Christian lands; but in their Moorish garments and in perfect ignorance
of Italian, strangers might fare no better in Sardinia or Sicily than in
Africa, and Spain might be no better; but Tam endeavoured to keep a north-
westerly course, thinking from what Arthur had said that in this
direction there was more chance of being picked up by a French vessel.
Would their strength and provisions hold out? Of this there was serious
doubt. Late in the year as it was, the heat and glare were as
distressing by day as was the cold by night, and the continued exertion
of rowing produced thirst, which made it very difficult to husband the
water in the skins. Tam and Fareek were both tough, and inured to heat
and privation; but Arthur, scarce yet come to his full height, and far
from having attained proportionate robustness and muscular strength,
could not help flagging, though, whenever steering was of minor
importance, Tam gave him the rudder, moved by his wan looks, for he never
complained, even when fragments of dry goat's flesh almost choked his
parched mouth. The boy was never allowed to want for anything save
water; but it was very hard to hear him fretting for it. Tam took the
goatskin into his own keeping, and more than once uttered a rough
reproof, and yet Arthur saw him give the child half his own precious
ration when it must have involved grievous suffering. The promise about
giving the cup of cold water to a little one could not but rise to his
lips.

'Cauld! and I wish it were cauld!' was all the response Tam made; but his
face showed some gratification.

This was no season for traffic, and they had barely seen a sail or two in
the distance, and these only such as the experienced eyes of the
ex-sponge merchant held to be dangerous. Deadly lassitude began to seize
the young Scot; he began scarcely to he