earted youngsters as they
are they had held fast, though over head and ears in water. `Och, but
the venison has gone on a cruise,' sung out Mr Desmond, as soon as the
sea had passed clear of us, `and some big brute of a shark will be
making his breakfast of it.'

"`Better that he should eat that than us, Paddy,' said Mr Rogers;
`don't let's fret about it, for, to say the truth, it was rather too
high to be pleasant.' He was right as to that; for the bits he put into
my mouth had a very curious taste; but it wasn't a time to be
particular, so I had taken what was given me, and said nothing. I was
thankful when I saw that the three lads had safely lashed themselves to
the starboard shrouds as before. The day was wearing on, and I was
beginning to feel that I'd rather not have to stand on my legs much
longer, though the hope that the hurricane would quickly blow itself out
kept me up. At last, I calculated about seven bells in the afternoon
watch, it fell almost a dead calm, though we happily kept steerage way
on the craft, for the sea tumbled about almost as madly as before, and
it was a difficult job to prevent its breaking aboard. However we
managed to set the mainsail, and I hoped we should soon have smoother
water.

"One never can tell what tricks the wind will play. Suddenly, as you
may see sometimes a hulking giant knock down a little chap with a blow
of his fist, a sea struck the drogher on the starboard beam; and before
a sheet could be let fly over she went. It was a mercy that the three
young gentlemen were holding on at the time to the weather rigging.
They all scrambled in a moment on to the chains, where I, making my way
along the bulwarks, quickly joined them. I can't say that they were
frightened exactly, but they didn't like it, which was but natural; no
more did I.

"`What's going to happen next?' asked Mr Rogers quite calmly.

"`The hatches being on, the craft won't fill, and maybe when the squall
has passed over another sea may right her,' I answered, as I saw that
there was a chance of that happening.

"The squall didn't last ten minutes, and directly afterwards there was a
flat calm, and the sea went down wonderfully fast. Still the drogher
lay over on her side and gave no signs of righting. Mr Desmond
proposed cutting away the mast.

"`That mightn't help us,' I answered; `I've an idea that the ballast has
shifted over to port, and that with the water in her keeps the craft
down. W