el, well he is not expected to steer the ship and keep a look-out at
the same time, and, if he was, he couldn't do it, for his eyes soon grow
so dazzled by the light of the binnacle lamps that he can see little or
nothing except the illuminated compass card.

"That, gentlemen, was the state of affairs aboard the _Joan of Arc_ on
the night about which I'm telling ye; the skipper, the passengers, the
second mate, and the watch below all in their bunks; and the rest of us,
those who were on deck and ought to have been broad awake, almost if not
quite as sound asleep as those who were below. I was down on the main
deck, sitting on the planks, with my back propping up the front of the
poop, my arms crossed, and my chin on my chest, dhreaming that I was
back at school in dear old Dublin, when I was startled broad awake by a
shock that sent me sprawling as far for'ard as the coaming of the after-
hatch, to the accompaniment of the most awful crunching, ripping, and
crashing sounds, as the _Joan_ sawed her way steadily into the vitals of
the craft that we had struck. Then, amid the yelling of the awakened
watch, accompanied by muffled shrieks and shouts from below, there arose
a loud twang-twanging as the backstays and shrouds parted under the
terrific strain suddenly thrown upon them, then an ear-splitting crash
as the three masts went over the bows, and I found myself struggling and
fighting to free myself from the raffle of the wrecked mizenmast. I
felt very dazed and queer, and a bit sick, for I was dimly conscious of
the fact that I had been struck on the head by something when the masts
fell, and upon putting up my hand I found that my hair was wet with
something warm that was soaking it and trickling down into my eyes and
ears. Then I heard the voice of the `old man' yelling for the mate and
the carpenter; and as I fought myself clear of the raffle I became aware
of many voices frantically demanding to know what had happened, husbands
calling for their wives, mothers screaming for their children, the sound
of axes being desperately used to clear away the wreck, a sudden awful
wail from somewhere ahead, and a rushing and hissing of water as the
craft that we had struck foundered under our forefoot, and the skipper's
voice again, cracked and hoarse, ordering the boats to be cleared away."

O'Toole paused for a moment and gasped as if for breath; his soup lay
neglected before him, his elbows were on the table, and his tw