repared for it."

"So it would appear," assented the baronet. "But candidly now, captain,
is not this present voyage of ours rather an eventful one?"

"Undoubtedly it is," replied I. "Singularly so, thus far. A man might
follow the sea all his life without witnessing so many casualties as
have come under our notice since we sailed. Yet such casualties are
constantly occurring in some part of the world. The only remarkable
thing about those of which we have become cognisant is that so many
should have occurred in so short a time, and within an area so small as
to have permitted of our being in the vicinity of each just when it
happened. Even the dreadful occurrence that we witnessed to-night,
though it is the first case of the kind that I ever heard of, may be
after all nothing very unusual in kind, and may possibly explain the
loss of many of the craft that disappear and leave no sign behind them.
For instance, it is safe to say that the only human eyes that witnessed
the destruction of the _Northern Queen_ are on board this ship, and if
we had not seen it the chances are a hundred to one that her fate would
never have been known. Martin's prospects of escape would certainly
have been remarkably small; for although, in this fine weather, he might
have remained afloat for some time, he might have been passed unnoticed
by a ship within a very short distance. Then, after exposure in the
water for a certain number of hours, his strength would rapidly fail
him, and he would die miserably of starvation, if he did not lose his
hold upon the buoy and sink, or be dragged out of it by some hungry
shark."

"Upon my word, you would be an uncommonly cheerful companion for a
nervous man," remarked Sir Edgar, half jestingly, half in earnest. "I
declare I shall never in future be able to look at that man without
recalling the grim picture you have sketched of him floating helplessly
in his life-buoy. You sailors certainly ought to be exceptionally
religious men, for it seems to me that not one of you--not one of _any_
of those who go down to the sea in ships--can count with certainty upon
his life from one minute to another. Just look around you now, for
instance. How gentle and peaceful is the whole aspect of nature at this
moment, and how absolutely _safe_ we seem to be! It was just as
peaceful--just as apparently safe--three hours ago; yet in the interim a
noble ship and her whole crew save one has perished; and what