we suddenly lost sight of the barque's
headlight, and saw the dull gleam of those aft shining through the cabin
ports.

'Thank God!' said the whaler officer, 'he's bringing to.'

Scarcely had he spoken when we heard a hail distinctly.

'Boat ahoy, there, where are you?'

'In the water. We're capsized,' I answered.

No response came; then again they hailed, and again we shouted unitedly,
but no reply, and presently we saw a blue light was being burnt on the
starboard side--they were looking for us in the wrong quarter. For some
minutes our suspense was horrible, for, if the captain thought he had
overshot our boat (knowing nothing of the second disaster), he would,
we feared, go off on the other tack. Again they hailed, and again
we answered, though we were now feeling pretty well done up, and the
Portuguese was alternately praying to the saints and consigning his
captain to hell.

'Hurrah!' cried Tom, one of my Penrhyn Island boys, 'she's filling away
again, and coming down; they've heard us, safe enough.'

It so happened that they had not heard us at all; but the captain, at
the earnest request of the ship's cooper, who believed that we had been
swamped, and were to leeward, decided to keep away for a short time, and
then again bring-to. Not only was he anxious for us, but for the other
boats, and the dead whales as well; for he feared that, unless he could
get the latter alongside by daylight, and start to cut-in, the sharks
would devour the best part of them.

A few more minutes passed, and now we saw the barque looming through the
night, and apparently again coming right on top of us. We shouted
and screamed till our voices broke into hoarse groans; and then there
happened a strange thing. That which had caused our misfortune proved
our salvation. We heard a crashing sound, followed by loud cries of
alarm, and then saw the ship lying flat aback, canting heavily over to
port. Presently she righted, and then made a stern-board, and came so
close to us that one of the hands not only heard our cries but saw us in
the water.

In an instant the captain called to us to cheer up, and said a boat was
coming. 'The ship struck some wreckage, and is making water,' he added.

We were taken aboard in two trips, the poor, broken-legged sailor
suffering terribly. He had been kept from drowning by one of the Penrhyn
men, who stuck to him like a brick through all the time we were in the
water. Neither of these brave islan