t has become of the other poor fellows, Macco?"

"I not know. Come now, I help you to get on my raft." Saying this he
swam round, and began pushing the spar before him, one end first, by
which means it was easily driven through the water. It took us some
time to reach the piece of wreck, which appeared to be part of the
poop-deck. Getting on it himself, he hauled up Oliver first at my
request, and then assisted me, making fast the spar to one side. The
deck, under which were some beams, floated well, and supported us
completely. We were thankful that our lives had been thus far
preserved; but yet here we were, out in mid-ocean as far as we could
see, without land in sight, and with no provisions, not even a drop of
water to support life. We all too well knew that unless help should
come, our lives had only been preserved to suffer a more lingering death
than the one we had escaped. One of my first impulses was to stand up
and look round, in the hope of seeing the mast, with some of my
companions clinging to it, but though several pieces of wreck were
visible, nothing of the mast could we discover. Macco could give very
little account of the way he had escaped. He had, I found, been in the
top, and a sea striking him had washed him away; but being a good
swimmer, he struggled manfully for life, now floating on his back, now
looking round in the hopes of seeing something to which he might cling.
At last he found himself close to the deck; which, indeed, was on the
point of being thrown over him, when, had he been struck, his fate would
have been sealed. Darting away from it, however, he escaped the danger,
and then swimming round, succeeded in placing himself upon it.

"I so glad," he exclaimed, "dat I saved my life, because now I try to
help save yours."

Oliver and I thanked him very much, though I said that I could not
exactly see how that was to be.

"A way will be found," observed Oliver, quietly. "Let us trust in God;
he knows how to bring all things about."

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the heat became very great, striking
down upon our unprotected heads. Fortunately we had all eaten a good
supper; but after a time we began to feel hungry, and thirst especially
assailed us. Oh, what would we not have given for a glass of water! My
companions were inclined to drink the salt water; but I had heard of the
danger of so doing, and urged them to refrain from the dangerous
draught. Oliver and I