serve as a mast, he fixed it firmly at one end of the raft, staying it
up with the remainder of the rope, with the exception of a piece which
he kept for halyards. The sail was already attached to a light yard, so
that he had only to secure it to his halyards and hoist it up. This he
did, bringing the sheet aft, where he placed himself, with an oar to
serve as a rudder.

His great object was to get to a sufficient distance from the ship, to
avoid the danger of another explosion. By this time the cries from the
drowning men had ceased; and had he thought it safe to venture back to
the ship, it would probably have been too late to save them. What had
become of the rest of his shipmates he could not tell. He fancied,
indeed, that he heard the sound of voices; but if so, they must have
been on the other side of the ship, and were thus shut out from view.

A light breeze having now got up, the raft made tolerable way, and soon
got to some distance from the ship; but still fearing that the fragments
might reach them and injure Alice, Nub stood on. Now and then he cast a
look at the ship. It appeared to him that the flames were not making
such rapid progress as at first. "After de fire burn out, we go back,
Missie Alice; but still I tink we safer here dan on board de ship," he
observed. "S'pose we near and de ship go down, den de oder men get on
de raft and sink her."

Nub, indeed, knew that there were two dangers to be apprehended. Should
the ship blow up, he and Alice might be injured by the fragments, which
would probably be sent to a great distance from her; while, should she
go down, the raft might be drawn into the vortex: and sink with her. He
could not tell at what distance they would be free from either of these
two dangers; and this made him stand on much further than was in reality
necessary.

On and on he went. It seemed foolish to him to stop short of a spot of
positive safety. The fierce flames were blazing up from every part of
the ship, making her appear much nearer than she really was. The wind
was increasing, driving the raft rapidly before it; and as the sea got
up and rolled under the raft, Nub saw that the only means of preserving
it from being swamped was to continue on his course.

On and on he sailed. The sea rose higher and higher, and the clouds
gathered thickly in the sky. His great fear was that the seas would
break aboard and sweep Alice off. To prevent so fearful a catastroph