the oars as he spoke.

"It would have been better if they had cut our throats," growled Captain
Graddy with a fierce oath.

"You'd have been worse off just now if they had, captain," said Gaff,
shaking off his depression of spirits by a strong effort of will.
"Come, Cap'n Graddy, you an' I are in the same fix; let's be friends,
and do our best to face the worst, like men."

"It makes little matter how we face it," said the captain, "it'll come
to the same thing in the long run, if we don't manage to make it a short
run by taking strong measures. (He touched the hilt of a knife which he
wore at all times in his belt.) However, we may as well pull as not."

He rose and sulkily took an oar, while Gaff took another.

"Now, captain," said Gaff, "you know better than me how far we be fro'
land, an' which is the way to pull."

"I should think we're five hundred miles from the nearest land," said
Graddy, "in a nor'-east direction, an' there's no islands that I know of
between us an' South America, so we may just pull about for exercise
till the grub's done, an' then pull till we're dead."

The captain burst into a loud, fierce laugh, as if he thought the last
remark uncommonly witty.

Presently he said, "You may as well see how much we've got to eat an'
drink before beginnin' our work."

"All right, my hearty!" cried Gaff, rising with alacrity to examine
their store of provisions; "here's a small bag o' biscuit as'll last us
three days, mayhap, on half allowance, so we'll be able to do with
quarter allowance for the first few days, an' then reduce to an eighth,
which'll make it spin out a few days longer. By that time we may fall
in with a sail, who knows?"

"We're far beyond the track o' ships," said the captain bitterly. "Is
there never a drop o' water in the boat?"

"Not a drop," replied Gaff, "I've searched all round, an' only found a
empty bottle."

"Ay, meant for to smuggle brandy aboard when they got the chance, the
brutes!" said the captain, referring to his recent crew. "Well, it
don't matter. We've now the prospect of dyin' o' thirst before we die
of starvation. For my part, I prefer to die o' starvation, so ye may
put yourself an' your brat on full allowance as long as it lasts."

Poor Billy's horror at the prospect before him was much aggravated by
the fierce and brutal manner of Graddy, and he would fain have gone and
hid his face in his father's bosom; but he had been placed at the helm
whi