darkness,
out of sight of everything, with only the sounds of the wind and the
waves filling their ears.

"Do you think we will ever get out of this alive?" asked Grace of Dora.

"Let us pray that we may all be spared," answered Dora, and they did
pray, more earnestly than they had ever before prayed in their whole
lives. It was a moment that put their faith to a supreme test.

The boys did not dare to stop rowing, and they kept on until their
backs ached and their arms seemed ready to drop from their sockets.

"We had better take turns," said Dick, at last. "We can't keep this
up all night.." And his suggestion was followed out, two, rowing at
a time, for a space of fifteen or twenty minutes.

They thought they might see something of the other boats, but nothing
came to view, and when they set up a shout at the top of their lungs,
no answer came back.

"They have either gone down or else got out of this neighborhood,"
said Tom.

"It was too bad to lose Captain Blossom," said Sam. "He was not such
a bad sort, after all."

It was not long after this that a mass of wreckage drifted past
them. There was a bit of broken spar and some other woodwork, but no
human being, and they let the wreckage go.

By looking at his watch Dick saw that it was three o'clock in the
morning.

"It will be light in another couple of hours," he said. "If we can
keep on top of the waves until then perhaps we can sight the islands
the captain mentioned."

"I wish it was daylight now," sighed Nellie.

Fortunately a bundle of clothing had been brought along, and as the
water was warm, nobody suffered much from the wetting received. Care
was taken to keep the provisions as dry as possible, for there was
no telling how long it would be before they would be able to get more.

Slowly the night dragged by, and, with the coming of morning, the
wind went down, the storm passing to the northward.

"It is growing lighter," announced Dora. "The sunlight is beginning
to, show over the rim of the sea."

Half an hour later the sun came up, like a great ball of fire from
a bath in the ocean, capping the high waves with gold. As the light
spread around them, Dick stood up on a seat and gazed eagerly in all
directions.

"What do you see?" demanded the others.

"Nothing," he answered, with a sinking heart; "nothing but water on
all sides of us."

"The islands--they must be somewhere!" cried Tom, and he, too, took
a look, followed by the oth