on which they gave drew there the attention of all the
others. The priest looked up, and putting his book back in his
pocket, walked towards them, while Terry gave one swift look, and
then disappeared below.

"Quick wid ye," he called to Jericho; "put on a couple of barls o'
taters to bile. There's a shipwrecked raft afloat out there beyant,
an' they're all dyin' or dead av starvation, so they are."

"O, you jes go long wid yer nonsensical tomfoolery," said Jericho.

"Tomfoolery, is it? Go up, thin, an' luk for yerself," cried Terry,
who bounded up on deck again, and began to prepare for action. At
this Jericho put on his nose an enormous pair of spectacles, and thus
equipped climbed upon deck, followed closely by the melancholy Biler,
who devoured a carrot as he went up.

By this time Zac had brought the Parson's head round once more, and
steered for the raft, calling out to Terry to get the boat afloat.
Terry and Jerry then went to work, assisted by Biler, and soon the
boat was in the water.

"Ef I hadn't ben sich a darned donkey," said Zac, in a tone of
vexation, "I might have got at 'em before an' saved them all these
hours of extra starvation. Ef I'd only yelled back when I fust heerd
the voice! Who knows but that some of 'em hev died in the time that's
ben lost?"

"Can't we run alongside without the boat?" asked Claude.

"Wal, yes," said Zac; "but then, you know, we couldn't stay alongside
when we got that, an' so we've got to take 'em off with the boat the
best way we can."

They were not long in retracing their way, and soon came near enough.
Zac then gave up the tiller to Terry, telling him to keep as near as
possible. He then got into the boat, and Claude followed, by Zac's
invitation, as well as his own urgent request. Each took an oar, and
after a few strokes, they were up to the raft. The raft was on a
level with the water and was barely able to sustain the weight of
those who had found refuge on it. It seemed like the poop or round
house of some ship which had been beaten off by the fury of the
waves, and had afterwards been resorted to by those who now clung to
it.

The occupants of the raft were, indeed, a melancholy group. They were
seven in number. Of these, two were common seamen; a third looked
like a ship's officer, and wore the uniform of a second lieutenant;
the fourth was a gentleman, who seemed about forty years of age.
These four were standing, and as the boat approached them they g