bulent and mountainous
as ever.

All night long the gale blew the ship blindly hither and thither, and it
was not until just before daybreak that the storm showed any signs of
abating. By six o'clock, however, only a slight wind was blowing, and
the sea no longer threatened to engulf me and my little vessel. I was
now able to look about me, and see what damage had been done; and you may
imagine my relief when I found that the ship was still sound and water-
tight, although the bulwarks were all gone, and she had all the
appearance of a derelict. One of the first things I did was to go down
and unloose the dog--poor Bruno. The delight of the poor creature knew
no bounds, and he rushed madly up on deck, barking frantically for his
absent master. He seemed very much surprised to find no one aboard
besides myself.

Alas! I never saw Peter Jensen again, nor the forty Malays and the two
women. Jensen _may_ have escaped; he may even have lived to read these
lines; God only knows what was the fate of the unfortunate fleet of pearl-
fishers. Priggish and uncharitable people may ejaculate: "The reward of
cupidity!" But I say, "judge not, lest ye also be judged."

As the morning had now become beautifully fine, I thought I might attempt
to get out some spare sails. I obtained what I wanted from the fo'c'sle,
and after a good deal of work managed to "bend" a mainsail and staysail.
Being without compass or chart, however, I knew not where I was, nor
could I decide what course to take in order to reach land. I had a vague
idea that the seas in those regions were studded with innumerable little
islands and sandbanks known only to the pearl-fishers, and it seemed
inevitable that I must run aground somewhere or get stranded upon a coral
reef after I had slipped the cable.

However, I did not see what advantage was to be gained by remaining where
I was, so I fixed from the stern a couple of long sweeps, or steering
oars, twenty-six feet long, and made them answer the purpose of a rudder.
These arrangements occupied me two or three days, and then, when
everything was completed to my satisfaction, and the ship was in sailing
trim, I gave the _Veielland_ her freedom. This I managed as follows: The
moment the chain was at its tautest--at its greatest tension--I gave it a
violent blow with a big axe, and it parted. I steered due west, taking
my observations by the sun and my own shadow at morning, noon, and
evening. For I ha