ided between the five of us, which is a fraction over three pints per
day per man, or, say, half a pint at each of three meals and another
half-pint at three intervals between meals. Little enough, you will
say. Very true; yet I think we must endeavour to do with less. We must
try to be satisfied with four half-pints per day of twenty-four hours
per man, by which means we shall be able to make our water last sixteen
days, and in sixteen days many things may happen: we may end our voyage,
if we have luck; or we may be picked up; or we may have rain enough to
enable us to replenish our water supply. But since neither of these
things may happen, we ought, in common prudence, to determine at the
outset not to drink more than four half-pints per man per day; and I
think we may be able to manage upon that without any very great
hardship. What say you?"

"I think we can manage it, if we set our minds to do it," at once
answered Mr Cunningham, and after a little further talk the boatswain,
carpenter, and sailmaker also agreed to make the attempt. In the same
way we arrived at a determination to be satisfied with four biscuits per
day each, with a suitable proportion of tongue, potted meat, jam, and
what not; and we also agreed upon the quantity of spirits which was to
constitute each man's daily allowance, Cunningham being of opinion that
a very small allowance of stimulant would be almost a necessity, seeing
that our food was to be so restricted in quantity. And then, having
settled this important question, we piped to supper, each man receiving
the exact quantity of food agreed upon; and when we had finished we were
all of the one opinion, namely, that although our appetites were far
from being satisfied, it would be quite possible for us to sustain life
under such conditions for a fortnight or three weeks without serious
deterioration of either health or strength.

By the time supper was over it had fallen dark, and we had lost sight of
both the longboat and the barque. It was a magnificent night, the sky a
deep indigo cloudless blue, studded with myriads of stars, the water
perfectly smooth, save for the long, low undulations of the swell; and
the only fault that I had to find with the weather was that there was
too little wind, the breeze having died down until we were making
scarcely two knots in the hour. Fortunately we had no difficulty in the
matter of determining our course, for it happened that Mr Cunningham