op.

"What do you make it?" said he.

"56 degrees 20 minutes South," I said.

"And the ship's time makes us about 66 degrees West. Ha! humph! we must
be about forty miles to the south of Cape Horn; and, by Jove," he added,
looking to the north-west, where the blue sky was without a fleck save a
little white cloud, like the triangular sail of a boat, seen dimly low
down on the horizon, "there's my gentleman over there, now!"

The knowledge of the vessel's position appeared to give the skipper
greater confidence; and, the waves ceasing to break over us, although
the huge southern rollers swept by in heavy curves, he gave directions
for getting some tackle rigged to launch the long-boat, which, although
it was right in the way, had escaped injury when the foremast fell. At
the same time, the mainsail and mizzen staysail were set, and the vessel
steered in the direction of that Cape which she seemed destined never to
round.

"We'll run for the Wollaston group," said the skipper--"that is, if the
fire will let us stop aboard till we reach there; and if not, why, the
less distance there will be for us to trust ourselves to the boats in
this strong sea."

No time was lost in making preparations to quit the ship, however--
provisions and stores being brought up from the steerage by the steward
and a couple of seamen who were told off to help him.

In the last few hours the fire had made considerable headway; for thin
wreaths of smoke were curling up from the deck forwards, where the pitch
had been melted from the seams, and the heat was plainly perceptible on
the poop, accompanied as it was by a hot sulphurous smell.

"Be jabers, I fale like a cat on a hot griddle," said Pat Doolan, as he
danced in and out of the galley, engaged in certain cooking operations
on a large scale which the skipper had ordered; "I'll soon have no sowl
at all, at all, to me cawbeens!"

The men laughed at this, but there was a good deal of truth in the
joking words of the Irishman, as, although washed with water, the deck
was quite unbearable to one's naked foot.

It was now early in the afternoon, and the long-boat and jolly-boat were
both launched and loaded with what stores were available, the skipper
personally seeing that each was provided with a mast and sails and its
proper complement of oars and ballast--barrels and barricoes containing
water being utilised to this latter end, thus serving for a double
purpose.

Other things and