night on the trackless ocean, had it not been for my
constant thoughts of my companion, and my bitter self-reproaches for
having led her into so terrible a danger.

I was now, however, called from these reflections, by the necessity of
active employment. The boat I found shipped water at every plunge, and
if speedy means were not taken to keep the water under, there was little
doubt that she would soon fill and go down. I therefore seized the iron
kettle we had brought with us to cook our dinner, and began rapidly
baling out the water, which was already over our ankles. We continued
to ship water, sometimes more and sometimes less; and Mrs Reichardt,
actuated no doubt by the same motives as myself, with a tin pan now
assisted me in getting rid of the treacherous element.

By our united exertions we kept the water under, and hoped to be able to
get rid of the whole of it. About this time it began to rain very
heavily, and although the awning protected our heads, so much fell into
the boat, that notwithstanding our labours, we continued to sit in a
pool.

We were, however, glad to find that as the rain fell, the wind abated
and as the latter subsided, the sea became less violent, and we shipped
less water. I was now able by my own exertions to keep the boat
tolerably dry, and Mrs Reichardt, ever provident, spread out all the
empty vessels she had brought with her to catch the rain; for as she
said, we did not know how valuable that water might become in a short
time.

The rain continued to pour down in a perfect torrent for several hours;
at the end of which the sky gradually cleared. The sea, though still
rough, presented none of those mountainous waves that a short time
before had threatened to annihilate us at every descent, and there was
just sufficient breeze to waft us along at a brisk rate with the
assistance of our sail.

Mrs Reichardt helped me in putting up the mast, and directly we began
to feel the breeze, she insisted on my taking some refreshment. It was
vitally necessary to both, for our labours had been heavy for several
hours. We therefore ate sparingly of our provisions, and washed down
our meal with a pannikin of water mingled with a little spirit.

CHAPTER FORTY SIX.

The morning dawned upon a boundless expanse of sea. The first object
that presented itself to my sight was an enormous whale spouting water,
about a quarter of a mile distant from me; then I observed another, then
a