that I could make
very promising fish-hooks by merely bending them into the requisite
shape, I secured about a dozen of these nails; and then made sail with a
fair wind upon an approximately due east course. Although the wind was
light the boat slipped through the water at a very satisfactory pace;
and in half an hour's time we had run the wreckage completely out of
sight.

During the progress of the foregoing operations my companion had been
very quiet, looking on with an air of interest at everything I did, and
occasionally volunteering her assistance where she seemed to think she
might possibly be able to make herself useful, but otherwise saying
little. Now, however, that we had once more settled down into a
condition of comparative inactivity she began to question me as to our
whereabouts, what were my intentions, and so on; all of which questions
I replied to as accurately as I could. Then, after meditating for
several minutes, she said:

"And what do you think are our chances of escape, Mr Conyers? Do you
consider that they are favourable enough to justify you in taking so
very much trouble?"

"Ah," answered I, "if you had asked me that question last night, when we
jumped overboard together from the sinking ship, I should probably have
found some difficulty in answering you at once hopefully and truthfully;
for, as a matter of fact, I may now tell you that I really had _no_
hope, and that, in acting as I did, I was merely obeying that instinct
that urges us all to fight for life so long as we have any fight left in
us. But _now_ that we have come into possession of this fine and
well-equipped boat I can honestly say that I consider our chance of
ultimate escape is excellent. Of course everything depends upon the
weather: if a gale were to spring up, the boat would probably be swamped
or capsized by the heavy sea that would quickly rise--although even
under such adverse conditions as those of a gale I should bring all my
sailorly training and knowledge to bear on the task of preserving the
boat as long as possible. But if Providence will only favour us with
fine weather for, say, a week, I have scarcely a shadow of doubt that
within that time we shall be fallen in with and picked up by a craft of
some sort. For you must understand that we are right in the track of
ships bound round the Cape; and those vessels are now so many in number
that, making a rough guess, I should be inclined to say that an aver