safe on shore once more.

By morning the storm had taken another turn. It no longer rained,
but the sky was murky, and there was a dense fog, which the wind blew
first in one direction, and then another. They were still running
to sea, with small prospect of being able to turn back.

"This is certainly more than I bargained for," observed Dick to Tom,
in a low voice. "To me it looks mighty serious."

"Oh, the storm is bound to go down."

"Yes, Tom, but how long do you suppose the provisions and water will
last?"

At this question Tom's face fell.

"I hadn't thought of that, Dick. I don't suppose we have more than
enough for to-day, have we?"

"Well, we might make it last two days on a pinch--we brought quite
a lot along. But after that--"

"Do you think we'll have to stay out here more than two days?" demanded
Sam.

"I don't know what to think, Sam."

"Can't we rig up some sort of a jury-mast?"

"Captain Jerry mentioned that. We'll try."

There was no stick on board of the _Old Glory_ outside of the
bowsprit, and at last they decided to saw this off and put it up as
a small mast.

The task was no easy one, and just as the temporary mast was being
fitted into place there came an extra heavy puff of wind which sent
the yacht far over on her side.

"Hold fast, all of ye!" roared Captain Jerry, and they obeyed, and
the stick went rolling over the side and out of sight in the billows.

"Gone!" gasped Tom. "That ends putting up another mast."

Slowly the day wore along. The girls were silent, and if the truth
be told more than one tear was shed between them, although before
the boys they tried to put on a brave face. There were no regular
meals, and by the advice of Captain Jerry and Dick they were sparing
of the provisions and the water.

"Our only hope now is for the storm to go down, or else to sight some
passing ship," said Dick. "Getting back to Santa Barbara at present
is out of the question. For all we know, we may be a hundred or two
hundred miles from the coast."

About two o'clock in the afternoon the sky cleared a little. But as
the fog lifted, the wind blew with greater force, sending them reeling
and plunging into the mighty waves.

"It looks as if we should be swamped after all," said Tom dolefully.

"Never say die, Tom," came from Sam resolutely.

"I suppose Mrs. Stanhope will be worried half to death."

"No doubt of it."

Nobody had any heart to talk, and each watched eagerly f