d smoothly. And the men told yarns. But every eye was on
the look-out for the smoke of some passing ship.

We saw none. Not a speck on the ocean, save the long-boat ahead. And
by-and-by the sun set, and a little fog crept up. And the night came on
as black as pitch and very drear.

Sylvia and I huddled close in the blanket that Dr. Atherton had tied
about our shoulders; and whispered our prayers together.

"To-morrow will be Sunday, Sylvia," I said.

And she whispered back: "They will pray for those that travel by water
in the Litany."

II.

I couldn't sleep. Every time I began to lose consciousness I started up
in a fright, and saw the _May Queen_ going down into the sea again; and
fancied I saw the captain struggling in the cabin. It was terrible.

I could hear the men snoring peacefully in the boat. They were all
asleep except the helmsman.

At midnight he roused up another man to take his place; and after that I
remembered no more till I started up in the grey dawn with a loud
"Ahoy!" quivering in my ears.

"Ahoy! A-hoy!"

Everybody was wide awake. Everybody wanted to know what the matter was.
And everybody was looking at the helmsman who was peering out at sea.

It was Gilliland. He turned a strange, scared face to the others in the
cutter, and:--"_The long-boat's not in sight!_" said he.

Somebody let out an oath. And every eye stared wildly over the sea. It
was quite true. Not a speck, not a streak we saw upon the ocean--the
long-boat had disappeared!

"God in heaven!" ejaculated the first mate. "She must have capsized in
the night!"

"And if we don't capsize, we'll starve," said the doctor, "_for she had
all our provisions on board_!"

There was an awful silence for just three minutes. Then the man who had
sworn before shot out another oath. Hookway began to rave like a madman.
Evans burst into sobs. Davis began to swear horribly, and cursed
Gilliland for putting the provisions in the other boat.

It was terrible.

Suddenly Sylvia's voice rose trembling above the babel, quaveringly she
struck up the refrain of the sailor's hymn:

_"O hear us when we cry to Thee_
_For those in peril on the sea."_

"God bless you, miss!" cried Gilliland. And taking up the tune, he
dashed into the first verse:

_"Eternal Father, strong to save,_
_Whose arm hath bound the restless wave._
_Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep_
_Its own appointed limits keep:"_

The doctor and the