ashed about us as if we were floating boards. We went
up and down on the waves with a motion that wouldn't have been so bad
had we not thought we might be shuffled off, if a big wave turned us
over a little too much. But there were lots of things to hold on to, and
we all stuck close together. We three were in the middle. The captain
told us to get there. There is no way of telling how glad I was that the
captain was with us. I was well satisfied, anyway, to be with the party
on the raft. I might have liked it better in a boat, but I think most of
the men in the boats were waiters, or stewards, or passengers--fellows
who were in a hurry to get off. The officers and sailors who remained
behind to do their best for the ship and the passengers were the men on
the raft; and these I felt we could trust. I think there were ten of
them, besides the captain, making fourteen of us in all.

There we all sat, while the ship blazed and crackled away, before us.
She drifted faster than we did, and so got farther and farther away from
us. The fire lighted up the sea for a good distance, and every time we
rose on the top of a wave, some of us looked about to see if we could
see anything of the other boats. But we saw nothing of them. Once I
caught sight of a black spot on a high wave at quite a distance, which I
thought might be a boat, but no one else saw it, and it was gone in an
instant. The captain said it made no real difference to us whether we
saw the other boats or not; they could not help us. All the help we had
to expect was from some passing ship, which might see us, and pick us
up. He was very encouraging, though, about this, for he said we were
right in the track of vessels bound North, which all sought the Gulf
Stream; and, besides, a burning ship at night would attract the
attention of vessels at a great distance, and some of them would be sure
to make for us.

"We'll see a sail in the morning," said he; "make up your minds to that.
All we've got to do is to stick together on the raft, and we're almost
sure to be picked up."

I think he said things like this to give courage to us three, but I
don't believe we needed it, particularly. Rectus was very quiet, but I
think that if he could have kept himself dry he would have been pretty
well satisfied to float until daylight, for he had full faith in the
captain, and was sure we should be picked up. I was pretty much of the
same mind, but poor Corny was in a sad way. It wa