ieve, lost our way, and the wind blew against us
and kept us back a long time."

"Oh, I see! the master got out of his reckoning, and met with a
succession of foul winds," I remarked.

"I don't know, but I know we were very uncomfortable, and had very
little to eat, and what we had was very bad," she continued. "It was
very horrid, was it not? A fever also, which one of the passengers had
brought from Rio, spread among the people on board. Several of the
other passengers and many of the crew died of it, and among others, my
poor nurse Josefa. God was very kind, and saved dear papa and me. I do
not think the captain caught it; but he was always very tipsy, and now
was worse than ever. One night he fell into the sea and was drowned."

"Drinking brought on _delirium tremens_, and in his madness he jumped
overboard probably," I remarked. "No wonder his ship was in so bad a
condition; but go on."

"Both the mates died, and we were left without any officers.
Fortunately the crew were very steady, and behaved well; and at last the
fever went away, and those who were sick recovered. The carpenter was
the only person on board who had any idea how we should steer, so the
rest made him act as captain."

"It was a mercy, under such circumstances, that you found your way into
the Chops of the Channel."

"Where is that?" asked Miss Alice, naively.

"Where we now are," said I; and I should probably have gone on to
explain the reason of the name, but that I was very anxious to hear more
of her account. As far as I could make out, three very anxious weeks
passed by while the ship remained in this condition, when, as they were
getting near soundings, a gale sprang up and drove her furiously before
it. "One evening," continued the little girl, "papa and I were in our
cabins, when suddenly the ship rolled over dreadfully on her side, and--
most horrible!--the water came rushing down into them. At the same time
there was a frightful crash, and we heard sad shrieks and cries. Poor
papa flew into my cabin, and seized me in his arms, for he thought the
ship was sinking, so did I, and we wished to die together."

"The ship had broached to, and had been thrown on her beam-ends, and the
masts had gone by the board," I remarked. "It was fortunate they did
so, or she would have been sent to the bottom to a certainty. When the
masts went the ship righted, and you saw there was a chance of escape."

"I was too frightened to th