distance of thirty miles of it. All this time, by God's
providence, we had frequent heavy rain squalls, and the potato tin,
which was about eighteen inches square, and was perfectly water-tight,
proved our salvation, for the potatoes were so very salt that we would
have perished of thirst had we been unable to save water. Ohlsen cut
down one of his high sea-boots, and into this he would put two handfuls
of the dried potatoes, and then fill it up with water. It made a good
sustaining food after it had been softened by the water and kneaded into
a pulp.

"An hour before dawn, on the sixth day, Ohlsen, who was lying on the
bottom boards of the boat, was awakened by hearing me crying for my
mother. The poor fellow, who had stripped off his woollen shirt to
protect my little body from the cold, at once sat up and tried to
comfort me. The sea was as smooth as glass, and only a light air was
blowing. Drawing me to his bare chest--for I was chilled with the keen
morning air--he was about to lie down again, when he heard the creaking
of blocks and then a voice say, 'Ay, ay, sir!' and there, quite near us,
was a large ship! In a moment he sprang to his feet, and hailed with all
his strength; he was at once answered, the ship was brought to the wind,
a boat lowered, and in less than a quarter of an hour we were on board
the _Britannia_.

"On that dear old ship I remained for five years or more, for the
captain had his wife on board, and although she had two young children
of her own, she cared for and loved me as if I had been her own
daughter. Most of this time was spent among the Pacific Islands, and
then there came to me another tragedy, of one of which I have a most
vivid remembrance, for I was quite eleven years old at the time.

"The _Britannia_, like many South Seamen of those times, was a letter of
marque, and carried nine guns, for although we were, I think, at peace
with Spain, we were at war with France, and there were plenty of French
privateers cruising on the South American coast, with whom our ships
were frequently engaged. But none had ever been seen so far eastward
as the Galapagos Islands, and so we one day sailed without fear into a
small bay on the north-west side of Charles Island to wood and water.

"On the following morning the captain, whose name was Rossiter, ordered
my old friend Ohlsen, who was now gunner on the _Britannia_, to take
four hands and endeavour to capture some of the huge land tortoises