ld not bring himself to care for anything
beyond the passing moment. But while the rest grew calm and resigned,
he became more and more agitated and alarmed. In each sea which rolled
up after us in the distance he saw the messenger which was to summon him
to destruction. Poor little Auguste could only cry with fear of the
undefined. He had never been taught to believe in anything, and thus he
could not even believe in the reality of death till he was in its grasp.

Under the circumstances in which we were placed, people can talk but
little, though the thoughts crowd through the mind with frightful
rapidity. Unless when occupied, we for most of the time sat silent,
watching the ocean. Night was coming on, and the fury of the tempest
had in no way decreased. It was difficult to steer in the daytime--it
was doubly difficult and dangerous at night. After O'Carroll had been
steering for some time, Trundle begged that he might again take the
helm.

"Trust me," he said, "I have been in a gale of wind in an open boat
before now, and know how to steer carefully."

"But you've not steered in a hurricane in the Indian seas, Mr Trundle,"
answered O'Carroll. "Any moment the wind may shift round, and if we
were to be taken aback, it would be all over with us. As long as I can
keep my eyes open I'll stay where I am, if you please." And O'Carroll
was as good as his word; hour after hour he sat there, as we rushed on
up and down the watery hills through the pitchy darkness--it was indeed
a long, long night. Though we had eaten nothing since the hurricane
came on, we were all of us rather weary than hungry. As for sleepiness,
that was very far from any one. When compelled to rest, we could employ
our thoughts in little else than wishing for daylight, and hoping that
the storm would soon cease. It was a relief to be called on to pump or
bale, for the increasing leaks required three of us at a time to be
actively engaged in both operations. But I am wrong in saying that I
could think of nothing except my own fearful peril. Frequently I
thought of my dear mother and other loved ones at home. The thought
gave me comfort and courage, and cheered me up through the horrors of
the night. Daylight came at last, and revealed the tumultuous ocean on
every side, but not a speck of land was visible. Trundle was the first
to exclaim that he was hungry; but to light a fire was almost
impossible, and even Jacotot could not have coo