ecked seaman."

"I see," said Cunningham thoughtfully. "But," he resumed, after a
moment's silence, "there is no need for you to adopt either of these
courses, you know, old chap. My hundred and forty sovereigns will be
quite sufficient to see us both comfortably home from Rio, and you can
repay me whenever you happen to be able."

I very heartily thanked the young civil engineer for his exceedingly
generous offer, but protested that I could not possibly accept it--that,
in fact, there was not the least likelihood that things would turn out
so badly in Rio as to compel me to avail myself of his generosity; but
nothing would satisfy my companion short of a definite promise that I
would accept his help should matters result awkwardly upon our arrival.
Eventually I very reluctantly yielded to his importunities and gave him
the required promise, and thus began a sincere friendship between us
that was only further strengthened by the long series of remarkable
adventures that lay ahead of us both, although at that moment we little
dreamed that anything out of the ordinary run of events was to befall
either of us.

Toward the end of my watch the breeze evinced a slight tendency to
freshen, and when at nine o'clock I handed over the charge of the boat
to the boatswain, and Cunningham and I disposed ourselves to secure such
sleep as might come to us, we were slipping along through the water at
the rate of a good honest four knots in the hour.

As may be imagined, my sleep that night was of a somewhat intermittent
character, for a boat's thwart is not the most comfortable bed in the
world, and I was fully conscious of the responsibility that had been
laid upon me to guide the gig, and the lives which had been entrusted to
her, over the trackless ocean, without the aid of chart or nautical
instruments of any kind save the toy compass attached to Cunningham's
watch chain. I was well aware that my only hope of success lay in the
keeping of the most accurate account possible of the boat's progress and
direction, and, therefore, was up and looking about me at least half a
dozen times during the night.

The fine weather continued all through the hours of darkness, and during
the boatswain's and carpenter's watches the wind gradually freshened up,
until by three o'clock, when Chips called the sailmaker to relieve him,
the boat was buzzing merrily along at a speed of between six and seven
knots; but after that the wind began to s