times he came on
deck, only to see the ship labouring on amid the foaming billows.

Another morning dawned, the weather looking as wild as on the previous
day. Few on board failed to ask themselves, "Shall we see another
sunset?" Again and again Lord Reginald and Voules examined the chart,
with anxious forebodings of evil. They saw that numerous islands and
reefs lay ahead of them. Lord Reginald proposed hauling the ship up
before dark, to escape the risk of running on one of them during the
night. Voules feared that if it was done the canvas would not stand,
and that she would then be drifted helplessly on any reef or island in
her way. No sun was to be seen; the whole sky wore one uniformly leaden
hue, while the dark seas of the same tint rose and fell, their tops
covered with masses of foam which, blown off by the wind, filled the
atmosphere. "Should there come a lull, we will haul up," exclaimed Lord
Reginald. "We shall do it at our peril," observed Voules. "It must be
done," was the answer. "Stand by to haul out the spanker! Starboard
the helm!"

The ship as she came to heeled over almost on her beam ends, while the
seas broke over her, driving the masses of spray into the eyes of the
crew, so that they could scarcely see a few yards before them, while the
lee side of the deck was almost under water. Although no signs of a
leak had hitherto been discovered, the acting carpenter, who had been
ordered to sound the well, came aft with a pale face, announcing that a
large quantity of water had found its way below.

"Man the pumps!" was the answer, and the already hard-worked crew were
soon labouring away to clear the ship. So often, however, were the
nozzles of the pumps under water, that the men could not tell whether
they were drawing or not, and the cry, "Hold on for your lives!"
compelled them frequently to let go and clamber into the rigging, or
hold on by the stanchions, while a furious sea swept over the deck,
threatening to carry them away. Again darkness had come on. Except a
closely reefed fore-topsail and mizzen-trysail, not a sail remained.
She was furiously plunging into the seas, when once more a report was
heard, and the fore-topsail was seen blowing away in shreds. Directly
afterwards the spanker gaff came down, and now not a shred of canvas
remained, the ship in consequence drifting bodily to leeward. Most of
the crew were forward, the officers and some of the men remaining on the
p