ad been relieved in the usual manner; and that, it
being his trick at the wheel, he had arrived aft just in time to hear
the "old man" (the captain) bid the mate good night, after laughingly
enjoining him not to go to sleep and allow the little barque to leeward
to slip past him. The night being fine and the breeze steady, the watch
on deck, with the exception of the lookout, had quickly found snug
corners for themselves, in which they had coiled themselves away for a
quiet cat-nap; the mate had lighted his pipe and established himself in
the skipper's wicker armchair; and perfect peace and quiet reigned
throughout the ship. Suddenly the whole sky seemed to brighten, and,
glancing involuntarily over his right shoulder--from which direction the
light appeared to emanate--Martin saw the meteorite in the sky
immediately over our mastheads, and at the same moment became conscious
of the screaming roar of its passage through the air.

"The moment I set eyes on it," said he, "I knew--I felt _certain_,
somehow--as the thing meant to strike us; and I shouted to the mate, to
warn him; and then--not knowin' why I did it--I let go the wheel and
makes a spring for the life-buoy hangin' at the taffr'l, whippin' the
knife out of my sheath at the same time. I'd got hold of the buoy, and
the edge of my knife was on the seizin', when it seemed to me as if the
sun hisself was a-bearin' down on us, the light and the heat got that
dreadful fierce; then there came a most fearful smash as the thing
struck us fair atween the fore and main masts, cuttin' the ship clean in
two, if you'll believe me, gentlemen; and as my knife went through the
seizin' by which the buoy was lashed to the iron rail, I felt the poor
old hooker double herself up together, just as if she was writhin' with
the pain of her death-wound; and with that, holdin' the buoy in my hand,
I makes a single spring overboard; and the next thing I knows, I finds
myself bein' sucked down with the wreck. If you'll believe me,
gen'lemen, it seemed _years_ afore I felt that dreadful suction let go
of me, and found myself risin' to the top of the water again; and when I
got there at last and caught my breath once more, it seemed to me as if
another single second 'd ha' done for me. I remembers congratulatin'
myself as the water was so warm and pleasant, and the breeze the same,
as I settled myself comfortable in the middle of the buoy; and then,
when I'd cleared the water out of my e