e sun again rose that the sails were heard to give several loud
flaps against the masts; a few cat's-paws were seen playing over the
surface of the water, and at length the canvas swelled out to an
easterly breeze. The tacks were hauled aboard, and the _Lily_ stood in
the direction it was supposed the _Ione_ would be found, over the course
she had just come.

The wind was light, and she made but little progress. It freshened,
however, in the evening, and during the night the log showed that she
was going at a fair rate.

Rayner was in the morning watch, and was forward when the look-out from
the mast-head shouted, "A piece of wreck away on the starboard bow." As
the ship would pass close by it, she was kept on her course. Rayner was
examining the piece of wreck through his glass, when he saw what he
supposed was a person moving on it.

He went aft, and reported this to the first lieutenant, who was on deck,
and the ship was headed up towards it. "I can see four or five men!"
exclaimed Rayner, "some are lying down. One man is kneeling up and
waving."

By this time the commander had come on deck, and as the ship drew near,
he ordered a boat to be got ready.

Two of the men were seen to rise on their knees, and wave.

"They must have belonged to the crew of the ship which blew up the other
day, though how they escaped seems a miracle," observed the commander.
"Poor fellows, they must have suffered fearfully! Put a beaker of water
and some food in the boat. They'll want nourishment as soon as
possible."

The corvette was hove-to. Rayner took charge of the boat, the crew
pulling eagerly away to the rescue of the hapless men on the raft.

As they drew near, Rayner observed, to his surprise, as he stood up
steering, that one of the persons kneeling on the raft was dressed in
the uniform of an English midshipman.

"Give way, lads--give way!" he shouted.

The boat was quickly up to the raft, which was a portion apparently of
the poop deck. Besides the young Englishman, there were five persons
dressed as ordinary seamen, dark, swarthy fellows, their countenances
haggard, and their whole appearance wretched in the extreme.

"Water, water! in mercy give us water!" cried the young Englishman;
while the other men, who were scarcely able to move, pointed to their
mouths. One lay stretched on the raft, apparently lifeless, and another
seemed almost too far gone to recover.

Two of the _Lily's_ crew leapt on th