em with the helm, while the increased height of weather side that
she turned up had the effect of considerably lessening the amount of
water washing over the deck, and rendering the task of getting fore and
aft comparatively safe.

But I was still not satisfied; great as was the improvement effected by
the setting of the staysail, the brig yet seemed to labour more heavily
than was to be reasonably accounted for, even by the fact that she had
water in the hold; and then it occurred to me to sound the well afresh
and ascertain whether the amount of that water was increasing. I
accordingly fetched the rod, carefully dried it, and, watching until the
brig was for an instant on an even keel, lowered it down the pump
barrel. Upon withdrawing it the startling discovery was made that since
the men had last been at the pumps the depth of water in the hold had
increased by three inches! The water was draining into the hull,
somewhere, and that, too, in sufficient quantity to keep us busy. I
directed the attention of the men to the condition of the pump rod; and
with deep, bitter curses levelled at the weather, the brig--at
everything, in short, except the indifference of themselves and their
shipmates that had brought us all to this pass--they went to work afresh
at the pumps, while I made my way to the forecastle, and, as was my
daily wont, attended to the injuries of the two wounded men, Dirk and
Mike, who were confined to their bunks. With the brig leaping and
plunging so desperately my task was by no means an easy one, and upon
this occasion it occupied me so long, that ere I had quite finished, the
other men came below, still cursing and grumbling, to get their dinner.
I inquired whether they had succeeded in reducing the quantity of water
in the hold at all, and was informed--with further curses--that they had
only reduced it by about two inches, and that they were willing to be
eternally condemned if they ever laid a hand upon the pump brake again.
But about six bells in the afternoon watch, while I was at the wheel,
the man Harry came aft, sounded the well, and shouting to me "twenty-six
inches," went for'ard again; with the result that, a quarter of an hour
or so later, they all came aft once more, and continued pumping for
nearly two hours; with what effect, however, I could not say, for none
of them condescended to inform me. Nor did either of them offer to
relieve me at the wheel; but that I was not at all surpr