You see, mates," he continued, addressing
himself to the company in general, "there's no possibility of a ship
gettin' along without a captain, or an army without a general. If we
was going off to a wreck now, with or without a lifeboat, I would claim
a sort o' right to be coxswain in virtue o' past experience; but, as
we've now begun a sort o' shore-goin' business, which requires a deal o'
general knowledge, besides seamanship, an' as Dr Hayward has got that
by edication, I move that we make him our leader."

"Right you are, Bob," said Joe Slag. ("As he always is," said Nellie,
_sotto voce_.) "So I second the move--if that's the reg'lar way to do
it."

"Hear, hear!" said every one with right good will, and a gleam of pride
flashed from Eva's pretty brown eyes as her husband was thus unanimously
appointed leader of the shipwrecked band.

Like a sensible man, knowing his capacity, he at once accepted the
command without any display of undue modesty, and proved his fitness by
at once going to work.

"The first thing, then, is to thank God for our deliverance, which we
all do, I am sure, most heartily."

This was received with a responsive "Amen" from every one--not even
excepting Black Ned.

"Next, we must find fresh water and boil a bit of pork--"

"Ah, then, we haven't a kittle!" exclaimed O'Connor.

"Haven't we a big baling-dish, Terrence?" said Hayward.

"Sure we have, sor, an' it's a tin wan as'll stand fire," returned
Terrence with a reproved look.

"Well, then, you go fetch it; wash it well out, and get the pork ready.
Jarring and Tomlin will gather as much dead wood as they can find and
pile it beside the fire. Mitford will search for fresh water--there
must be a spring or brook not far off--and Massey and I will rig up some
sort of shelter for the night."

"Please, sir, may I go with Mitford to seek for water?" asked Nellie.

"By all means, if you wish to."

"And I will keep you company, Nell," said Mrs Hayward energetically.

"So will I," chimed in little Mrs Mitford, feebly. "I was always fond
of water. As a child I used to paddle about in it continually, an'
sometimes tumbled into it, for of course young people will--"

"No, Peggy, you must sit by the fire with my wife," said the doctor.
"Neither of you is fit for work of any kind yet, so sit down and warm
yourselves."

Eva was too wise, and Peggy too weak, to offer objection, so these two
sat by the fire while the others went to wor