long there before he observed that some of the ropes that
had been thrown on the deck did not wash from side to side as the
others did. His gaze became transfixed until it excited the anger of
the mate who asked what he was gaping at. This aroused him from a kind
of stupor, and without saying a word to the officer, he let go the
bellrope and went to the object which attracted him. He took hold of a
rope and found it would not yield. He then felt the deck with his bare
feet and found it was holed, but in order to ascertain the extent of
the hole, he determined to feel with his hands, and as the water was
continuously lashing over him on that part of the deck it was no easy
task to accomplish this. In a few minutes he had ascertained that about
two feet of deck, the shape of a wedge, had been staved close to the
hatch combings; in fact it had never been fastened with nail or bolt.
He shouted at the top of his voice, "I have found the leak!"

[Illustration: FINDING THE LEAK.]

And the little band of men re-echoed with wild delight: "The big leak
is found, hurrah! Down with the ensign." And the young seaman, who by
accident had discovered this wicked piece of workmanship, became the
object of many flattering compliments. Up to that time there had been
observed a solemn, dogged, defiant struggle to defeat death who gazed
into their eyes. An occasional unfriendly wish uttered by one or other
of the sailors as to the punishment the owner should have was received
with applause from all except the captain and mate. These little
outbursts of vengeance were a sort of tonic to their depressed spirits.
A fervent "thank God" came from each man's lips as soon as the leak of
the deck was stopped, the captain adding a supplementary remark that
"God was good even to wicked sinners."

"In an hour from now," said he, "we might have been swallowed up in the
waves. It was almost impossible that our boat could have lived until we
got under the lee of the schooner" (which had been sighted and which
hove to with the object of effecting a rescue). "Ah," said this
penitent old man, "it is good to live as we would wish to die. God
knows those who believe and trust in Him, and so He has saved us from a
watery grave."

"Then keep off the whiskey and stick on deck," said one of the boldest
of the crew, who was a naturalized Englishman. This remark brought the
captain very near to backsliding. Fire was seen in his eyes, and he
retorted with warmt