f bottles of
wine and the materials for an excellent supper, which he laid out upon
the table and then with a graceful bow invited us to fall to. This
diverted our thoughts in another direction. We seated ourselves, and in
a very few minutes--I, at least, having eaten scarcely anything at
dinner--were thinking of nothing beyond the satisfaction of our
appetites.

Before the meal was over the little vessel began to roll and tumble
about in such a lively manner as to satisfy us that she was hauling out
fast from under the lee of the land, and presently we heard the sharp
patter and swish of rain upon the deck overhead. It was by this time
past ten o'clock; the two standing berths, one on each side of the small
cabin, looked tolerably clean and inviting; so, instead of going on deck
as we had originally intended, we turned in, and tried to lose
remembrance of the somewhat exciting events of the day in a sound sleep.

The sun was shining brightly down through the diminutive sky-light when
I awoke next morning, and the lad Francisco was busy sweeping out the
cabin. Seeing me astir he inquired at what time we would choose to have
breakfast, to which I answered that we would have it as soon as it could
be got ready; but that in the meantime we should be glad to be supplied
with water, soap, and towels. These he scuttled away to get, whilst I
tumbled out of my bunk and began to dress, calling out at the same time
to rouse Courtenay, who was snoring away most melodiously in his berth
on the opposite side of the cabin. The little _Pinta_ was lying over a
good deal, and the loud gurgling rush of the water past her sides seemed
to indicate that she was travelling through it at a fairish speed,
whilst the long regular heel to leeward, the steady buoyant soaring
motion of the little vessel, with the succeeding recovery and weather-
roll and rapid drop as she settled away down into the trough, informed
us that we were favoured with a fresh breeze, accompanied by quite a
respectable beam-sea. With the exception of an occasional footstep, or
a word or two from the vicinity of the binnacle, everything, save for
the singing of the wind in the rigging and the hissing of the surges
past our lee side, was quiet enough on deck; but below Courtenay and I
could scarcely hear each other speak for the noise and clatter; bulk-
heads creaking, the crockery in the pantry rattling, the weapons in the
rack abaft the table clanking and jarring,