after all. No wonder, I perceived
with dismay that the stopper was out, and the stream was flowing!

I lost not a moment in pressing my fingers into the hole, and cutting
off the run. Then once more corking with the rag, I proceeded to carry
out my original design, of making a proper vent-peg of wood.

A piece was easily obtained from the board I had detached from the lid
of the box--for it was the lid that was towards me; and the soft deal,
yielding to the keen blade of my knife, was soon shaped into a conical
peg, that fitted exactly.

Brave sailor! how I blessed thee for thy gift!

I blamed myself much for this piece of negligence; and I felt regret,
too, that I had tapped the cask so low down. However, the latter had
been itself a measure of precaution; and at the time it was done, I had
but one thought, and that was to allay my thirst as quickly as possible.

It was fortunate I noticed the jet as soon as I did. Had it been
allowed to continue running, until it stopped of itself--in other words,
had the surface of the water sunk to the level of the tap-hole--then
would there have been but little left, scarce enough to have lasted me
for a week.

I endeavoured to ascertain what had been the amount of wastage, but I
could arrive at no satisfactory conclusion. I sounded the cask, by
striking it in different places with the butt end of my knife, but I
derived little knowledge from this. The creaking of the ship's timbers,
and the rush of the waves, prevented any observation of this kind from
being definite or accurate. I fancied that the blows gave back a very
hollow sound, as if a large space within was empty. If it were a fancy,
it was far from being a pleasant one; and I gave over my "soundings"
with a considerable feeling of uneasiness. Fortunately the tap was a
very small hole, and the jet from it of no great thickness. As near as
I could tell by the touch, and from the repeated application I had made
to it with my lips, this could not have been over the thickness of my
little finger, which at that time was not of much greater circumference
than a goose's quill. I knew that such a tiny stream would be a long
while in spending the contents of so large a tank; and I endeavoured to
recall to mind how long it might have been since I last drank. In this,
however, I was not successful. It seemed but a short while to me, but
excited as I had been, and confused in my ideas, it might have been an
hour, o