half-seas over, and the
rest looking very much scared at what the doctor had told them. Some
proposed attacking the place, and burning it down in revenge, but we
suggested that they would be better employed in carrying their helpless
shipmates to the boats, that they might be the sooner under the doctor's
care. The wine-shop keepers and their friends, afraid of losing their
prey, did their utmost to prevent this, but we succeeded, and
half-carrying half-dragging, we got the tipsy men down to the boats.
The doctor observing that exercise was the best thing to keep off the
effects of the poison, the more sober willingly took to the oars, and to
the surprise of the captain we soon made our appearance alongside. The
doctor took good care to dose all hands round, and though several were
very ill from the effects of the abominable aguadente, he got the credit
of saving their lives.

The captain, having no excuse for not sailing, gave the order to weigh
at daybreak. The question was in what direction we should steer?
Should we go back to the Galapagos, look into their harbours, and cruise
about those islands? It was not likely that the mate of the "Lady
Alice," after losing his captain, would remain long in that
neighbourhood when all hope of finding him had been abandoned. Captain
Bland thought that he would go either to the Marquesas or Sandwich
Islands, to obtain hands, without whom he could not prosecute the object
of the voyage.

"Then what will your wife and daughter do?" asked Captain Hake. "Will
they remain on board, or take a passage home in the first full ship they
fall in with?"

"They will remain on board the `Lady Alice', I feel sure of that," said
Captain Bland, in a tone of confidence. "They'll not give me up so
quickly. They'll think that I have got on board some ship, or landed on
one of the islands, or have come across to the mainland. Women do not
give up those they love in the way indifferent persons are apt to do.
They'll not believe I am lost, but oh! how terribly anxious they'll be,
notwithstanding, poor dears, poor dears!" and my kind friend hid his
face in his hands to conceal his grief.

I had all the time the thought in my mind of that abominable schooner
with her miscreant crew, and the terrible dread that she might have
fallen in with the "Lady Alice" while her boats were away, and run off
with her. What resistance could the five or six people left on board
offer, even though they