h in air as she slowly climbed to the surge's crest! Her
motion was slow and stately, for the wind had dropped very considerably,
whilst, owing to the loss of her upper spars, she was under short
canvas, and her approach consequently seemed to us most tediously slow.
At length, however, she arrived within a biscuit-throw of us, backed her
main-topsail again, and once more lowered a boat, which a dozen oar-
strokes sufficed to bring alongside our raft. The bowman laid in his
oar and hove us a rope, and as he did so the officer in charge of the
boat--a young man in the undress uniform of a Spanish naval lieutenant--
rose to his feet in the stern-sheets and, raising his hat to the little
cluster of uniforms he saw among us, said in Spanish:

"Are you a portion of the crew of the _Dolphin_, British cruiser, which
foundered last night?"

"We are," I answered, very much surprised at the question, and wondering
how in the world he came to know anything about the _Dolphin_ and her
having foundered.

"Then," said he, "you will be gratified to learn that we have already
picked up twenty-six of your company which we discovered about three
miles to leeward, floating on a portion of the ship's deck; and it was
in consequence of the representations made to my captain by one of your
officers picked up by us that an examination of the sea was made from
our mastheads, resulting in your discovery. But I will not waste time
by entering into further explanations at present; have I the honour of
addressing the captain of the _Dolphin_?"

"I was her commanding officer," I replied; "and I thank you greatly for
the pleasing intelligence you have so promptly afforded us. How many of
us can you take at once?"

"I am afraid we dare not venture alongside with more than twelve in
addition to the boat's crew; the swell is still very heavy. Will you
have the goodness to tell off that number for our first trip?"

I called out the names of the men, one by one, as the boat was brought
cautiously alongside the raft, and in a few minutes her complement was
complete.

"Adieu, Senor Lascelles," said the young officer, raising his hat again
as he shoved off; "we will not leave you in your present uncomfortable
position one moment longer than is absolutely necessary."

I mechanically returned the salute, again wondering where he had picked
up my name, until it occurred to me that he must have heard it mentioned
by some of the party taken off the