was only three
feet deep. 'We naturally thought often of all at home, and were glad to
remember that it was Sacrament Sunday, and that prayers would go up from
our friends for us, although they know not our peril.'

The captain got not even a cat-nap during the first three days and
nights, but he got a few winks of sleep the fourth night. 'The worst
sea yet.' About ten at night the captain changed his course and headed
east-north-east, hoping to make Clipperton Rock. If he failed, no
matter; he would be in a better position to make those other islands. I
will mention here that he did not find that rock.

On May 8 no wind all day; sun blistering hot; they take to the oars.
Plenty of dolphins, but they couldn't catch any. 'I think we are all
beginning to realise more and more the awful situation we are in.' 'It
often takes a ship a week to get through the doldrums; how much longer,
then, such a craft as ours?' 'We are so crowded that we cannot stretch
ourselves out for a good sleep, but have to take it any way we can get
it.'

Of course this feature will grow more and more trying, but it will be
human nature to cease to set it down; there will be five weeks of it
yet--we must try to remember that for the diarist; it will make our beds
the softer.

May 9 the sun gives him a warning: 'Looking with both eyes, the horizon
crossed thus +.' 'Henry keeps well, but broods over our troubles more
than I wish he did.' They caught two dolphins; they tasted well. 'The
captain believed the compass out of the way, but the long-invisible
north star came out--a welcome sight--and endorsed the compass.'

May 10, 'latitude 7 degrees 0 minutes 3 seconds N., longitude 111
degrees 32 minutes W.' So they have made about three hundred miles of
northing in the six days since they left the region of the lost ship.
'Drifting in calms all day.' And baking hot, of course; I have been
down there, and I remember that detail. 'Even as the captain says,
all romance has long since vanished, and I think the most of us are
beginning to look the fact of our awful situation full in the face.' 'We
are making but little headway on our course.' Bad news from the rearmost
boat: the men are improvident; 'they have eaten up all of the canned
meats brought from the ship, and are now growing discontented.' Not so
with the chief mate's people--they are evidently under the eye of a man.

Under date of May 11: 'Standing still! or worse; we lost more last night
th