er the great wide sea.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

THE CALM AND THE STORM--A SERIOUS LOSS AND GREAT GAIN--BIRD-CATCHING
EXTRAORDINARY--SAVED AT LAST.

One day a deep death-like calm settled down upon the ocean. For some
days before, the winds had been light and uncertain, and the air had
been excessively warm. The captain cast uneasy glances around him from
time to time, and looked with a sadder countenance than usual on the
haggard faces of the men as they laboured slowly and silently at the
oars.

"I don't know what this will turn to, doctor," he said, in a low tone;
"I don't like the look of it."

The doctor, who was perusing Ailie's journal at the moment, looked up
and shook his head.

"It seems to me, captain, that whatever happens, matters cannot be made
much worse."

"You are wrong, doctor," replied the captain quietly; "we have still
much to be thankful for."

"Did you not tell me a few minutes ago that the water was almost done?"

The doctor said this in a whisper, for the men had not yet been made
aware of the fact.

"Yes, I did; but it is not _quite_ done; that is matter for
thankfulness."

"Oh, according to that principle," observed the doctor, somewhat
testily, "you may say we have cause to be thankful for _everything_, bad
as well as good."

"So we have! so we have! If everything good were taken from us, and
nothing left us but our lives, we would have reason to be thankful for
that--thankful that we were still above ground, still in the land of
hope, with salvation to our immortal souls through Jesus Christ freely
offered for our acceptance."

The doctor made no reply. He thought the captain a little weak in the
matter of religion. If religion is false, his opinion of the captain no
doubt, was right, but if true, surely the weakness lay all the other
way.

That morning the captain's voice in prayer was more earnest, if
possible, than usual, and he put up a special petition for _water_,
which was observed by the men with feelings of great anxiety, and
responded to with a deep amen. After morning worship the scales were
brought, and the captain proceeded to weigh out the scanty meal, while
the men watched his every motion with an almost wolfish glare, that told
eloquently of the prolonged sufferings they had endured. Even poor
Ailie's gentle face now wore a sharp, anxious expression when food was
being served out, and she accepted her small portion with a nervous
haste that was de