vidently well acquainted with the navigation of
the Florida Reefs, or he would not have taken his vessel through the
dangerous channel he had chosen. But I was too tired to talk much, and
I slept an hour in Washburn's berth until breakfast-time. When I waked,
I found the captain of the bark sitting in a chair in the state-room.

CHAPTER XIV.

LOOKING FOR THE ISLANDER.

The captain of the bark was a man of about fifty. He was bald, and his
hair and whiskers were sprinkled with gray. I had no doubt that the
violent storm had made an end of his vessel, for the wreck was exposed
to the full fury of the sea, tenfold more violent after we left it than
before.

"Good morning, Captain; I hope you are quite well this morning," I
began.

"I am well enough, thank you; but I cannot forget that I have lost my
ship," he replied. "You had a rough night of it on deck; and I don't
think I ever knew a vessel to pitch and roll so badly as this one did."

"It was a terrible blow, and this is a very small vessel, though she is
as strong as wood and iron could make her. If she had not been well
built, the sea would have taken the house off this deck."

"I thought it was going to do so as it was. I think she was exceedingly
well handled, or she would have gone to the bottom," continued the
captain. "I have no doubt there are scores of wrecks along the Keys
this morning, and many a good fellow may miss his mess after this."

I gave him a full account of the storm, and of our being carried so far
out of our course by the wind and the current. I told him that we had
been delayed so long by the wreck and the storm that we probably should
not reach Key West till three or four in the afternoon.

"I suppose we shall be lucky to get there at all after all that has
happened to us," replied the captain. "What you say about drifting so
far out of your course strikes me as being a little strange."

"What was the name of your vessel, Captain?--I have not even learned
your name," I continued. I intended to point out to him the way in
which the bark had been lost; but I wanted to know something more about
the voyage of the unfortunate vessel.

"Captain Mayfield; and the bark was the Olive, of New York, from New
Orleans, with a cargo of cotton from the latter port," replied the
captain. "I owned a third of her myself; but she is well insured, and
so is her cargo. My wife and daughter were with me, and are now in the
after cabin."

"I t