ing?"

"Don't pay any attention to him," she pleaded.

"We are going to be drowned! You can't deny it, can you? We're going to
die!" He pulled a trembling hand from between his knees, where he had
held both hands pinched in order to steady them. He shook his fist at
Mayo. "Own up, now. We're going to die, aren't we?"

"I think it's right to tell the truth at this stage," said Mayo, in
steady tones. "We're not children. Yonder is a beach with sand-reefs and
breakers, and when we strike the sand this boat will go over and over
and we shall be tossed out. The waves will throw us up and haul us back
like a cat playing with mice. And we stand about the same chance as
mice."

"And that's the best you can do for us--and you call yourself a sailor!"
whined Bradish.

"I'm only a poor chap who has done his best as it came to his hand to
do," said the young man, seeking the girl's eyes with his.

She gazed at him for a moment and then put both hands to her face and
began to sob.

"It's a hard thing to face, but we'd better understand the truth and be
as brave as we can," said Mayo, gently.

"For myself I ain't a mite surprised," averred the cook. "I had my
hunch! I was resigned. But my plans was interfered with. I wanted to go
down in good, deep, green, clean water like a sailor ought to. And now
I'm going to get mauled into the sand and have a painful death."

"Shut up!" barked Mayo.

The girl was trembling, and he feared collapse.

Bradish began to blubber. "I'm not prepared to die," he protested.

Mayo studied his passenger for some time, wrinkling his brows. "Bradish,
listen to me a moment!"

The New-Yorker gave him as much attention as terror and grief permitted.

"There isn't much we can do just now to fix up our general earthly
affairs. But we may as well clean the slate between us two. That will
help our consciences a little. I haven't any quarrel with you any more.
We won't be mushy about it. But let's cross it off."

"It's all over," mourned Bradish. "So what's the use of bearing
grudges?"

"I suppose it's true that the court has indicted me for manslaughter.
Bradish, tell me, man to man, whether I've got to go into those breakers
with that on my conscience!"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes, you do! You know whether those men of the schooner _Warren_ were
drowned by any criminal mistake of mine or not!"

Bradish did not speak.

"You wouldn't have said as much to Captain Downs if you hadn't