my resolution to Miss Onslow, who made
no demur whatever to being left alone for a time, merely remarking, with
a somewhat wan smile:

"If it should by good fortune prove to be a boat, please do not, in your
elation, sail away, forgetting that you have left me behind."

I assured her that she might absolutely depend upon my never forgetting
that I had undertaken to save her, and therewith plunged into the warm
sea.

Swimming a long, steady stroke, it did not take me very long to reach
the object for which I was aiming, and which proved, as I had
conjectured, to be a ship's boat, swamped, and floating keel up. And
not only so, but when I got alongside her I was delighted to find that
she was one of the _City of Cawnpore's_ quarter boats--no doubt the one
that the miners had cut partially adrift ere the ship went down--the
especial significance and importance of this discovery arising from the
fact that poor Dacre had made a point of having every item of each
boat's equipment stowed within her, and properly secured; so that,
unless something very untoward had happened, it was reasonable to hope
that I should find this craft thus furnished. And, sure enough, she
appeared to be so, when I at length managed to right her, for, as she
rolled over, I caught sight of the oars, masts, and sails--the latter
neatly encased in canvas coats--all securely lashed to the thwarts.
Without waiting to further investigate, I got hold of her by the stern
and, hanging on by one hand, proceeded to scoop the water out of her
with the other. This was a long job, considerably more than an hour
being spent in removing the comparatively small quantity of water
necessary to enable me to get into her; but, once in her, I made much
better progress, using my two hands to throw the water out, until--
having got rid of sufficient to enable me to move about without again
filling the boat--I managed to find a baler, when I made short work of
baling her dry. This done, I took stock of my prize, and found that I
had come into possession of a twenty-eight-foot gig, in a perfectly
sound and undamaged condition, equipped with four sixteen-foot ash oars,
a mast and sails, rowlocks, bottom-boards, stretchers, rudder and yoke,
baler, boat-hook, and--priceless treasure, under the circumstances--two
breakers of fresh water securely lashed to the bottom-boards to serve as
ballast. With such a prize as this what might not be possible? With a
thankful heart I