Staunton estimated that they had been driven fully five hundred miles
directly out of their course; after a very careful inspection therefore
of their stock of provisions the skipper was reluctantly compelled to
order a further reduction in the daily allowance of food and water
served out.

And now the sufferings of those on board the launch commenced in grim
earnest. The women, especially, as might be expected, soon began to
feel their privations acutely. Buffeted as they had been by the gale,
they were completely exhausted, and needed rest and an abundance of
nourishing food rather than to be placed on short commons. They bore
their privations, however, with a quiet fortitude which ought to have
silenced in shame the querulous complaints and murmurings of Mr Dale;
though it did not. The most distressing part of it all was to hear poor
little May Staunton piteously crying for water, "'cause I'm so _veddy_
thirsty mama," as the dear child explained. She was not old enough to
understand the possibility of a state of things wherein food and drink
were scarcities; and her reproachful looks at her father when he was
obliged to refuse her request almost broke his heart. Not, it must be
understood, that she was limited to the same quantity of water as the
others. The men--always excepting Mr Dale--preferred to suffer in a
heightened degree the fiery torture of thirst themselves, rather than to
see the child suffer; and they quietly arranged among themselves to
contribute each as much as he felt he could possibly spare of the now
precious liquid, as it was daily served out to them, and to store it up
in a bottle which was to be May's exclusive property. And the same in
the matter of food. It was wholly in vain that the child's father
protested against this sacrifice; they were one and all firm as adamant
upon this point; and he, poor man, notwithstanding his anxiety that all
should be treated with equal fairness, could not contest their
determination with any great strength of will. Was she not his own and
only child, for whom he would cheerfully have laid down his life; and
how could he urge with any strength a point which would have resulted in
a dreadful deprivation and a terrible increase of suffering to the
winning and helpless little creature? Therefore he at last contented
himself with pouring the whole of his daily allowance of water into
May's bottle, and cheerfully submitted for her innocent sake to endure