ith a puzzled air, "that is all very well.
But what about those poor beggars adrift there in the boat? What are
they to do without food and water?"

"Well," said I, "to tell you the truth I never thought about that. It
is true they are only forty miles from the land, with fine weather and
every prospect of its lasting, but I suppose we ought not to leave them
without a mouthful of bread or a drop of water. Just jog the felucca
gently along, taking care that the boat is not allowed to come alongside
again, and I'll see what I can do. I wonder how they are getting on in
the matter of the turtle!"

I jumped on the rail in the wake of the rigging and looked out to
windward. Apparently they were too much engrossed with their chase to
take any notice of us, for I could see them paddling warily along,
evidently purposing to get to windward of their sleeping prey and then
drift with the wind noiselessly down upon him. Carera was still
standing up in the stern-sheets peering eagerly over the boat's larboard
bow; and the men were all intently looking over their right shoulders.
Presently I saw them lay their oars cautiously inboard, and then all
hands ranged themselves along the larboard side of the boat, careening
her almost gunwale-to as they stretched their arms over her side. Then
followed a short pause of evidently breathless suspense, succeeded by a
simultaneous _grab_! and in another instant I saw that they had secured
the turtle--and a splendid fellow he was--and were dragging him inboard
by main strength.

"All right!" I exclaimed; "they have caught him. Now, I will see what
I can do toward providing them with some food and water."

As I turned away to do this a large wash-deck tub caught my eye; and it
immediately struck me that this would be a capital thing to turn adrift
with a supply of food, as it was sufficiently capacious to hold as much
as would last them, with care, two or three days, instead of the twenty
hours or so which it would take them to reach the land. The tub was
quite dry inside and perfectly water-tight, as I happened to know, so I
dragged it to the lee gangway for convenience in launching, and then
hurried away to the cabin in search of provender. Opening the store-
room door, I rummaged about until I found a bread-bag half full. I
turned the bread out of this until there was only enough left to serve
them amply for the time they were likely to be afloat, and in on top of
this I popp