hom I am about to stand, and you will
have to stand ere long. Oh! do not forget what I have said. And now I
would ask a favour for myself. I have a mother living near Hull, and
one I love still better, a sweet young girl I was to have married. Find
out my mother--she will send for her--see them both--tell them how I
died--how I was doing my duty faithfully as a seaman, and how I thought
of them to the last."

"Yes, yes," I answered, "I'll do my best to fulfil your wishes." I took
his hand and pressed it. A fearful change came over his countenance,
and he was a corpse. I hoped to be able to keep my promise, for often
the only satisfaction a dying seaman has, is to know that his shipmates
will faithfully carry his last messages to those he loves best on earth.
The body was dragged forward into the bow of the boat, for rough as
were the survivors, all esteemed Edward Seton, and no one liked to
propose without necessity to throw his remains overboard before they
were cold.

At noon the captain took an observation, and found that since leaving
the schooner the previous evening we had run about forty miles, which
showed that we had been going little more than two and a half knots an
hour--for the wind had been very light all the time. Still we were far
better off than if it had been blowing a gale. As, however, the day
drew on, clouds began to collect in the horizon, forming heavy banks
which grew darker and darker every instant. I saw the captain and mate
looking at them anxiously.

"We are going to have another blow before long," observed Mr Cole. "If
we could have got under the lee of some land before it came on, it would
have been better for us."

"No doubt about that, Mr Cole; but as we have no land near us, if the
gale catches us we must weather it out as men best can," answered the
captain.

The mate was unfortunately right, and somewhere about the end of the
afternoon watch a strong breeze sprung up from the southward, which soon
caused a good deal of sea. The boat was hauled close to the wind on the
larboard tack, but she scarcely looked up to her course, besides making
much lee-way. She proved, however, more seaworthy than might have been
expected, but we shipped a good deal of water at times, to the great
inconvenience of the wounded men, and we had to keep constantly baling
with our hats, or whatever we could lay hold of. As it became necessary
to lighten the boat as much as possible, the capta