o make up for all the weary waiting. He's sent me this
derelict, and He only expects me to do my human best, and then He'll let
me get her safely home."

"Good Heavens, Skipper, what are you talking about? Have you seen
visions or something?"

"I'm a man, Mr. Philipps, that's always said my prayers regular all
through life. I've asked for things, big things, many of them, and I'll
not deny they've been mostly denied me. I seemed to know they'd be
denied. But in the last week or so there's been a change. I've asked on,
just as earnestly as I knew how, and I seemed to hear Him answer. It was
hardly a voice, and yet it was like a voice; it appeared to come out of
millions of miles of distance; and I heard it say: 'Captain, I do not
forget the sparrows, and I have not forgotten you. I have tried you long
enough. Presently you shall meet with your reward.'"

Dayton-Philipps stared. Was the man going mad?

"And that's what it is, sir, that makes me sure I shall bring this
vessel into some port safely and pocket the salvage."

"Look here, Skipper," said Dayton-Philipps, "you are just fagged to
death, and I'm the same. We've been working till our hands are raw as
butcher's meat, and we're clean tired out, and we must go below and get
a bit of sleep. If the ship swims, so much the better; if she sinks, we
can't help it; anyway, we're both of us too beat to work any more. I
shall be 'seeing things' myself next."

"Mr. Philipps," said the little sailor gravely, "I know you don't mean
anything wrong, so I take no offence. But I'm a man convinced; I've
heard the message I told you with my own understanding; and it isn't
likely anything you can say will persuade me out of it. I can see you
are tired out, as you say, so go you below and get a spell of sleep. But
as for me, I've got another twenty hours' wakefulness in me yet, if
needs be. This chance has mercifully been sent in my way, as I've said,
but naturally it's expected of me that I do my human utmost as well to
see it through."

"If you stay on at this heart-breaking work, so do I," said
Dayton-Philipps, and toiled gamely on at the pump. There he was still
when day broke, sawing up and down like an automaton. But before the sun
rose, utter weariness had done its work. His bleeding fingers loosed
themselves from the break, his knees failed beneath him, and he fell in
an unconscious stupor of sleep on to the wet planking of the deck. For
half an hour more Kettle struggle