ll, what's to be done, mate?" asked his chum, Ben Goff.

"Done!" exclaimed old Jos; "why, I axes, are we to go knocking our heads
against Providence, so to speak, till we've no water and no grub, and
then to rot away, as I've heard of a ship's company doing, and one left
to tell about it!"

"No, old salt, I wouldn't for one wish to do that same; but how's it to
be helped?" asked Goff.

"Helped!" said Lizard, with a look of scorn, "helped! why, let's go aft
to the captain, and tell him our mind. Either we bears up for a port,
or let the ship sink at once; it's only what we must come to at last.
We'll get the rum casks on deck, and have a regular jollification of it
first. Then no matter what turns up, we sha'n't know much about it."

I well knew the horrible folly seamen are capable of, so I thought it
best to put a stopper at once on the precious notion old Jos had got
into his head. I therefore presented myself suddenly before the two
men. "You're a couple of donkeys, to talk such nonsense as you've just
been doing!" I exclaimed, in a contemptuous tone. "Do you think two
ignorant old fellows like you know better than the captain what ought to
be done? Let me hear no more about it. I am not going to report what I
overheard, and if you catch any of the other men talking the game sort
of stuff, just let them know what fools they are." I felt that it would
not do to reason with the men, but that I should have a better chance of
putting them off this notion by making them feel ashamed of themselves,
and this I think I succeeded in doing. I cannot say, however, that I
felt very sanguine as to the termination of the voyage.

What the temper of the crew might at length have led to, I don't know,
but at last we got a slant of fair wind and moderate weather, and it was
announced that we were within twelve leagues of Cape Sambro, near the
entrance of the harbour of Halifax. As may be supposed, there was great
rejoicing on board; all our troubles and misfortunes were forgotten, and
we fully expected to be in harbour the next day. That night Delisle and
I were on deck together. Kennedy also was there, and little Harry
Sumner. Mr Gaston, the third lieutenant, had charge of the watch. We
were congratulating ourselves on the turn which fortune had made in our
favour, when Delisle called my attention to a thick gloom which was
gathering over the land. We pointed it out to Mr Gaston, and asked him
what it signified.