igged at once, gentlemen, if you please, somewhat after the fashion of
this affair that I have arranged."

So saying, the skipper exhibited the long-boat's board, fitted to serve
as a lee-board, and forthwith dropped it over the side, secured by a
couple of stout lanyards, the other ends of which were made fast to the
boat's thwarts. It appeared to require but little arranging, the leeway
of the boat pressing it close to her side, and retaining it there in its
proper position. The other boats were not long in following the
skipper's example. Five minutes sufficed to get the lee-boards into
action, and then the squadron hauled its wind, with the object of
beating back to the neighbourhood of the ship. The value of Captain
Chesney's idea soon became apparent, for in less than an hour we had
reached far enough to windward to enable us to fetch the ship on the
next tack. But we did not go about; for just at that time the wreck,
burnt to the water's edge, suddenly disappeared, leaving no trace of her
late presence but a dense cloud of mingled steam and smoke, that
gradually swept away to leeward astern of us.

The boats were on the starboard tack, and were kept so throughout the
day, that being the leg upon which we could do best with the wind as it
then was; and at noon an observation of the sun was secured which, the
skipper having his chronometer and charts with him, showed that we were
eleven miles nearer to our destination than we had been when we left the
ship. This was no great slice out of a distance of more than seven
hundred miles, but neither was it by any means discouraging, taking into
consideration the distance that we had lost during the night. As for
the passengers, particularly the women and children, they were in
wonderfully good spirits, seeming to regard the boat-voyage rather as a
pleasure-trip than the serious matter that it really was. The breeze
continuing to freshen, it at length became necessary for the long-boat
and ourselves to haul down a reef, in order that we might not outsail
and run away from the remainder of the flotilla. But, despite
everybody's most strenuous efforts, the boats manifested a decided
disposition to become widely scattered, and it was only by the faster
sailers heaving-to occasionally that the sluggards were enabled to keep
in company. This proved so serious an obstacle to progress that just
before sunset the long-boat again displayed the signal to close, and
when