s we could away from
the sinking vessel.

We were not a moment too soon, for almost immediately afterwards she
settled forward, and her stern lifting, down she glided beneath the
ocean, and we were left floating on the still troubled waters. Yet we
had cause to be thankful that we had saved our lives. We were far
better off than many poor fellows have been under similar circumstances;
for we had provisions, the sea was becoming calmer and calmer, and the
weather promised to be fine. We could scarcely, we thought, escape
being seen by some vessel either outward or homeward-bound. There was
too much sea on to permit us, without danger, to set the sail, but we
got the mast stepped and stayed up in readiness. The wind was still
blowing from the southward, and we hoped it would continue to come from
that direction, as we might thus make the Irish coast, or if not, run up
Saint George's Channel, where we should be in the track of numerous
vessels.

The day was now drawing to a close, and we prepared to spend our first
night on the raft Mr Harvey settled that we should keep watch and
watch, he with Jacques in one and Dick and I in the other. The weather
did not look altogether satisfactory; but as the sea had gone down, we
hoped that we should enjoy a quiet night, and get some sleep, which we
all needed.

Jacques seemed in better spirits than the rest of us; he either did not
understand our dangerous position, or was too light-hearted to let it
trouble him.

"Why should we be dull, Messieurs," he said, "when we can sing and
play!" And he forthwith took his fiddle, which he had stuck up in one
of the baskets, and began scraping away a merry air, which, jarring on
our feelings, had a different effect to what he had expected. Still he
scraped on, every now and then trolling forth snatches of French songs.
At last, Mr Harvey told him to put up his fiddle for the present, and
to lie down and go to sleep.

"I shall want you to look out by and by, when I keep my watch," he said;
"and meantime you, Wetherholm and Hagger, take charge of the raft, and I
hope in a short time to be able to let you lie down."

Saying this, Mr Harvey laid down on a small platform which we had built
for the purpose of enabling two of us at a time to be free of the wash
of the water. Dick and I kept our places, lashed to the raft with our
paddles in our hands. Our young officer was asleep almost immediately
he placed his head upon the piece