hand. You're a white man,
sir, and ought to be a bishop."

As he spoke to the now awakened old priest, the two De Boos girls, Mrs.
Lacy and Miss Weidermann, all came out of their cabins, and Robertson
shook hands with them, and lifting Sukie de Boos up between his two
rough hands as if she were a little girl, he kissed her, and then made a
grab at Sarah, who dodged behind Mrs. Lacy.

"Now, father, don't you attempt to come on deck. Mrs. Lacy, just you
keep him here. Sukie, my chick, you and Sarah get a couple of bottles of
brandy, make this bucket full of half-and-half, and bring it on deck to
the men."

As he noisily stamped out of the cabin again, the old priest turned to
the ladies, and raised his hand--

"A brave, brave man--a very good English sailor. And now let us thank
God for His mercies to us."

The four ladies, with Mina, knelt, and then the good old man prayed
fervently for a few minutes. Then Sukie de Boos and her sister flung
their arms around Mrs. Lacy, and kissed her, and even Miss Weidermann,
now thoroughly unstrung, began to cry hysterically. She had at first
detested Mrs. Lacy as being altogether too scandalously young and pretty
for a clergyman's wife. Now she was ready to take her to her bosom (that
is, to her metaphorical bosom, as she had no other), for she believed
that Mr. Lacy's prayer had saved them all, he being a Protestant
clergyman, and therefore better qualified to avert imminent death than a
priest of Rome.

Sukie and Sally de Boos mixed the grog, took it on deck, and served it
out to the men at the pumps.

The carpenter sounded the well, and as he drew up the iron rod, the
second mate gave a shout.

"Only seven inches, captain."

"Right, my boy. Take a good spell now, Mr. Allen. Mr. Bruce, we can give
her a bit more lower canvas now. She'll stand it. Mr. Lacy, and you
Captain Burr, come aft and get into some dry togs. The glass is rising
steadily, and in a few hours we'll feel a bit more comfy."

He prophesied truly, for the violence of the gale decreased rapidly,
and when at the end of an hour the pumps sucked, the crew gave a cheer,
and tired out as they were, eagerly sprang aloft to repair damages and
then spread more sail, Sarah and Susan de Boos hauling and pulling at
the running gear from the deck below. They were both girls of splendid
physique, and, in a way, sailors, and had Robertson allowed them to do
so, would have gone aloft and handled the canvas with the men.