on my energies there was the boat to be secured; thus far she
had been hanging on astern by her painter, but she was far too valuable
a possession to be any longer neglected; and now that a breeze had
sprung up I determined to secure her forthwith and while it was still
possible to do so. The brig carried a pair, of davits on each quarter,
so I hauled the boat up on the starboard side, made her fast, slipped
down into her and hooked on the tackles, and then, climbing inboard once
more, hauled them both hand-taut. Then, going forward, I brought aft a
snatch-block that I had previously been using, led the falls, one after
the other, through this to the winch, and, with Miss Onslow hanging on
to the rope to prevent it slipping on the barrel of the winch, managed
to hoist the boat and secure her.

The weather continued fine, and the wind light, all through the night,
the ship's speed being barely three knots; and once more I turned in on
the wheel grating and slept soundly, the ship steering herself so
perfectly that I found it quite unnecessary to interfere with the wheel;
and when I awoke at sunrise she was still stealing along as steadily as
ever.

The sky looked so beautifully fine and clear when I went below to
breakfast, in response to Miss Onslow's summons, that it came upon me
quite as a shock to discover--as I did by a casual glance--that the
mercury was falling; not much, but just enough to indicate that the
breeze was going to freshen. Now, I had no objection whatever to the
wind freshening--within certain limits; up to the point, say, where the
brig could just comfortably carry the canvas that was now set--I was in
a hurry to arrive somewhere, and, within the limits above named, I
should have heartily welcomed an increase of wind. But the mischief was
that when once the strength of the wind began to increase, there was no
knowing how far it might go; it might go on increasing to the strength
of a whole gale, in which case it would become necessary for me to
shorten sail, unless I chose to accept the alternative of letting my
canvas blow away. And even in so small a vessel as the brig, to shorten
sail was a serious matter, when there happened to be only one person to
undertake the work; yet, if it came on to blow, it would have to be
done, since it would never do to let the sails blow away, so long, that
is to say, as they could be saved by hard work. There was, however,
time enough to think about that; th