dat I got head on my shoulders, and would not do so foolish a ting
as to stay on board and be blown up if I could get away. Don't be
unhappy, derefore, about dat."

"I will try not," said Alice, "though it is very, very terrible."

"No doubt about dat, Missie Alice," answered Nub; "but tings might be
worse, and if de raft hold together in dis sea it will swim through any
we are likely to have. Already de wind down, and it grow calmer.
Suppose now we had been close to de ship when she blow up, we much worse
off dan we are now. Suppose de people had made me work to put out de
fire, den I had not built a raft, and we blown up,--dat much worse dan
we are now; or suppose de sea had washed over de raft and carried us
away, den also we much worse off dan we are now; or suppose I had not
got de biscuits and de water, den we starve, and much worse off dan we
are now: so you see, Missie Alice, we bery fortunate, and hab no right
to complain."

"Oh no, I am not complaining," exclaimed Alice; "I feel that we have
been very mercifully preserved, and I trust that we shall be saved,
though I cannot say how that is to be."

"No more can I, Missie Alice, 'cept the captain find us, or one of de
oder boats; and den we have a long way to go before we reach land, I
s'pose; but dere are many islands in dese seas, and perhaps we get to
one of dem where we find cocoanuts, yams, bananas, and plenty of oder
tings to eat; and den perhaps de captain build ship, and we get back
some day to Old England."

By such like remarks honest Nub tried to amuse the mind of the young
girl, and draw her thoughts from the fearful dangers which he saw
clearly enough surrounded them. He knew perfectly well how difficult it
would be for the boats to find them in that wide sea, low down as they
were on the surface of the ocean. Though they might float many days,
their provisions must come to an end, while their supply of water was
fearfully limited, and would soon be exhausted. He resolved to touch
but the smallest drop himself, that he might have more for her.

Nub was unwilling to increase his distance from the place where the ship
had gone down, as the further he went away the less chance there was of
the boats coming up with them. Still there was too much sea, he
considered, to make it safe to lower the sail; for though the raft
floated lightly over the waves, should its progress be stopped he feared
that they would break on board. The wind, which