ecure our raft better than it is at present, or it will not stand the
sea we are likely to have on before long."

By this time the wind had greatly increased, and the sea was tumbling
the raft about from side to side in a way which would have made it
impossible for any one but a practised seaman, as was the mate, and an
active boy like Walter, to keep their footing. Dark clouds had gathered
in the sky; the lightning flashed and the thunder roared. Still the
mate and Walter did not lose courage, but exerted themselves to keep the
materials with which they intended to complete their raft, together.
Happily, however, though the weather was so threatening, the sea did not
continue to increase, and towards dawn it once more sensibly abated.

"Now, Walter, while we have got a lull, let us set to work to finish
this raft of ours," said Mr Shobbrok.

"Ay, ay," answered Walter; "tell me what to do, and I will do it as soon
as we have got light enough to see with."

"We shall have that before long: the first streaks of dawn are appearing
in the sky," observed the mate.

"Then I hope we may get a sight of the boats, for they are not likely to
have run far from the ship," said Walter.

As the light increased sufficiently to enable them to see objects at a
distance, they stood up and took an anxious glance around; but the
horizon on all sides was unusually obscured, and their view consequently
limited. Walter, whose young eyes were keener than those of the mate,
fancied that he caught sight of an object which looked like a boat's
sail away to leeward, but if such was the case it soon disappeared. He
made out, however, on the part of the ocean where the ship had gone
down, numerous pieces of wreck, casks, and spars, and other articles,
which, escaping burning, had floated; but they were too far off to
enable him to distinguish clearly what they were.

"Come, lad, let's turn to and work," said the mate.

The first thing they did was more completely to secure the spars and
pieces of timber which formed the framework of their raft. They then
took the wreck of the boat to pieces and nailed the planks down on the
centre, so as to make a thick flooring, which enabled them to walk about
and keep their feet out of the water, though it here and there still
spouted up through the interstices of the planks. They also gave it
greater buoyancy by sinking some of the casks they had secured under the
framework, and firmly securing the