'd inside out!"

Nevertheless, we passed the dreaded cape without much rough weather, and,
in the course of a few weeks afterwards, were sailing gently, before a
warm tropical breeze, over the Pacific Ocean. Thus we proceeded on our
voyage, sometimes bounding merrily before a fair breeze, at other times
floating calmly on the glassy wave and fishing for the curious
inhabitants of the deep,--all of which, although the sailors thought
little of them, were strange, and interesting, and very wonderful to me.

At last we came among the Coral Islands of the Pacific, and I shall never
forget the delight with which I gazed,--when we chanced to pass one,--at
the pure, white, dazzling shores, and the verdant palm-trees, which
looked bright and beautiful in the sunshine. And often did we three long
to be landed on one, imagining that we should certainly find perfect
happiness there! Our wish was granted sooner than we expected.

One night, soon after we entered the tropics, an awful storm burst upon
our ship. The first squall of wind carried away two of our masts; and
left only the foremast standing. Even this, however, was more than
enough, for we did not dare to hoist a rag of sail on it. For five days
the tempest raged in all its fury. Everything was swept off the decks
except one small boat. The steersman was lashed to the wheel, lest he
should be washed away, and we all gave ourselves up for lost. The
captain said that he had no idea where we were, as we had been blown far
out of our course; and we feared much that we might get among the
dangerous coral reefs which are so numerous in the Pacific. At day-break
on the sixth morning of the gale we saw land ahead. It was an island
encircled by a reef of coral on which the waves broke in fury. There was
calm water within this reef, but we could only see one narrow opening
into it. For this opening we steered, but, ere we reached it, a
tremendous wave broke on our stern, tore the rudder completely off, and
left us at the mercy of the winds and waves.

"It's all over with us now, lads," said the captain to the men; "get the
boat ready to launch; we shall be on the rocks in less than half an
hour."

The men obeyed in gloomy silence, for they felt that there was little
hope of so small a boat living in such a sea.

"Come boys," said Jack Martin, in a grave tone, to me and Peterkin, as we
stood on the quarterdeck awaiting our fate;--"Come boys, we three shall
stick t