ymer. "Let's get the
daylight, and see what we have on board."

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.

That daylight seemed as if it would never come, and a more painful and
depressing time I never spent, in spite of the glory of the starry
heavens, and the beauty of their reflections in the calm sea beneath.
It was hard sometimes not to believe that many of the stars had fallen,
and were sinking slowly down into the dark, inky black of the ocean,
where I could see dots of light travelling here and there, now looking
mere pinheads, now flashing out into soft effulgent globes, whose
brightness reached a certain point, and then slowly died out.

Every now and then too there was a disturbance some little distance
down, as if something had suddenly passed along, and caused all the
phosphorescent creatures to flash and sparkle, and mingle their lights
into a pale lambent blaze, which soon passed away, leaving all still and
calm as before, with the tiny stars gliding softly here and there.

But the greater part of my attention was taken up by the lights dimly
visible on board the ship, where I tried to picture what was going on in
the cabin where Mr Denning and his sister were prisoned. Jarette
would, I know, have taken possession of the guns, but without doubt Mr
Denning would have kept the little revolver which I knew he wore hidden
about his person. And, what was more, I knew that he had the stern
courage to use it if put to the test, in spite of his weakness.

"And if he does use it," I thought, "it could only be against Jarette."

"If he does," I said half-aloud, "what a change in the state of affairs
it would produce!"

"What yer talking about, Mr Dale?" said Dumlow, who was nearest to me
of those forward; "not asleep, are you?"

"Asleep!--who could go to sleep at a time like this?"

"Ah, it's hard lines, sir," said Barney Blane, joining. "Such a pity,
too, just as we'd found a way of getting along over the cargo! Next
thing would have been as we should have took the ship."

"And we'll do that yet somehow, Barney," I whispered, for I felt in my
heart that Mr Frewen would not rest till some desperate effort had been
made to save Mr and Miss Denning.

Barney said he hoped we should, if it was only to give him one chance at
Jarette.

"One charnsh," growled Dumlow, whose voice sounded as if he were very
sore indeed. "I on'y want half a charnsh, my lad; that'll be enough for
me. I don't brag, but on'y give me half a