nciated by the carpenter; and there and then the matter was
settled.

It was with a very considerable amount of trepidation that, next
morning, Leslie undertook the task of communicating to Miss Trevor the
news of Purchas's death--taking care to suppress the full horror of the
tragedy by simply stating that the unfortunate fellow had committed
suicide by jumping overboard, omitting all mention of the shark. But
although the girl was naturally much shocked at the occurrence of a
second death on board, following so quickly upon that of Potter, this
was the full extent of her emotion; Purchas was not at all the sort of
man to appeal to her or to arouse in her any sort of interest or feeling
beyond that of disgust at his weakness in surrendering himself to the
seduction of so degrading a vice as that of drink; and she received the
information quite calmly, much to her companion's relief.

Meanwhile, and quite contrary to expectation, the breeze again freshened
an hour or so before sunrise, with the result that when Leslie took his
observation at noon he found that the brig was within a mile of crossing
the equator. And, what was a much more remarkable circumstance, the
horizon was still absolutely bare, not a single sail of any description
being in sight, even from the main royal-yard!

Upon ascertaining this last disconcerting fact, Leslie turned to Miss
Trevor, who was on deck, and said--

"Fate appears to have a grudge against you, and to be determined that
you shall not yet leave us. I had confidently reckoned upon falling in
with something hereabout to which I could transfer you; but the
continuance of this breeze--which most sailors would regard as a stroke
of marvellous good fortune--has enabled everything bound south to slip
across the Line without suffering the exasperating experience of a more
or less prolonged period of calm; while, as your ill-luck will have it,
there happens to be nothing northward-bound on the spot just when we are
most anxious to meet it. Furthermore, every mile that we now sail will
lessen your chance of effecting a trans-shipment, because our course
will be ever diverging from that of northward-bound shipping. Of
course, now that I am in command, I can continue to steer for a day or
two longer in such a direction as may enable us, with luck, still to
fall in with a homeward-bounder, but--"

"Is my presence on the ship then, so _very_ embarrassing to you, Mr
Leslie?" she interrupte