ad vanished utterly. Twice they sighted ships
scudding along under their few rags of canvas, and once a steamer
passed, the smoke from her funnels blowing out like long black pennons.
But all of these were too far off, or too much engaged with their
own affairs to see the little craft tossing hither and thither like a
used-up herring basket upon the endless area of ocean.

Fortunately, from his youth Morris had been accustomed to the management
of boats in all sorts of weather, the occupation of sailing alone
upon the waters being one well suited to his solitary and reflective
disposition. Thus it came about that they survived, when others,
less skilful, might have drowned. Sometimes they ran before the seas;
sometimes they got up a few square feet of sail, and, taking advantage
of a veer in the wind, tried to tack, and once, when it blew its
hardest, fearing lest they should be pooped, for over an hour they
contrived to keep head on to the waves.

Thus, diversified by some necessary bailing, passed the short November
day, long enough for them, till once more the darkness began to gather.
They had still some food and drink left; indeed, had it not been for
these they would have perished. Most happily, also, with the sun the
wind dropped, although for hours the sea remained dangerously high.
Now wet and cold were their enemies, worse than any that they had been
called upon to face. Long ago the driving spray had soaked them to the
skin, and there upon the sea the winter night was very chill.

While the wind, fortunately for them, by comparison a warm one, still
blew from the west, and the sea remained tempestuous, they found
some shelter by wrapping themselves in a corner of the sail. Towards
midnight, however, it got round to the northeast, enough of it to
moderate the sea considerably, and to enable them to put the boat about
and go before it with a closely reefed sail. Now, indeed, they were
bitterly cold, and longed even for the shelter of the wet canvas.
Still Morris felt, and Stella was of the same mind, that before utter
exhaustion overtook them their best chance for life lay in trying to
make the shore, which was, they knew not how far away.

There, then, for hours they cowered in the stern of the boat, huddled
together to protect themselves as best they might from the weather, and
plunging forward beneath their little stretch of sail. Sleep they could
not, for that icy breath bit into their marrow, and of thi