ard; and as we kept our canvas a good rap full, the
little barkie tripped along a good honest nine knots every hour. The
weather was as fine as we could possibly wish, with every appearance of
being thoroughly settled; and there seemed to be a good promise of our
making an exceptionally rapid passage.

It was my eight hours out that night; and when Bob relieved me at
midnight the sky was as clear as a bell; and, though there was no moon,
the stars were shining brilliantly, and with that mellow lustre so
peculiar to the tropics.

Bob declared he was glad to be on deck again, for he had been tormented,
all his watch below, by "that villainous sarpent;" visions of which so
disturbed his restless slumbers that it was a real comfort to have the
craft to look after, and something to occupy his mind.

I anticipated no such disturbing influence myself; for though I candidly
confess I was awfully frightened at the moment, the effect had passed
away almost with the disappearance of the monster; and the cool
freshness of the night breeze had induced a feeling of drowsiness,
particularly welcome to a man about to retire to his hammock.

In less than five minutes I was fast asleep. When I awoke, which I did
without being called, I was surprised to find the sun streaming down
through the skylight; and still more so when I observed that we seemed
to have gone about during the night. The _Water Lily_ was now certainly
on the starboard tack; whereas, when I turned in, we were on the port
tack.

"It _can't_ be a change of wind, here in the heart of the trades,"
thought I. "What can Bob be about? and why has he allowed me to overrun
my watch? Surely the old fellow was not _afraid_ to come below and turn
in? Hallo! Bob ahoy! what's wrong on deck?" shouted I, springing out
of my hammock.

Just as I did so, I heard the mainsail fluttering, as though the boat
had luffed into the wind; and at the same moment I caught sight, through
the companion-way, of the vacant tiller swinging about.

"Gone forward to shift the jib," thought I; and I jumped on deck to lend
a hand.

_Bob was nowhere to be seen_.

"Good heavens!" exclaimed I, "what dreadful thing has happened?"

I thought of the sea-serpent for one moment, but dismissed the idea the
next, as being both too horrible and too unlikely.

The creature could hardly have approached without giving Bob the alarm,
which I knew he would have instantly communicated to me.

At that m