id the somnolent commander, "and let me know
what the weather's like at daylight."

The chief officer made his way to the man at the helm, and remarked:

"That was a nasty sea that stove the skylight in, Jacob."

"There's been no nasty seas over here," said Jacob; "why, you must
have been asleep."

"I tell you the cabin's flooded," said the mate.

"Very well," said the other, "if you disbelieve me, look for yourself.
As to sleeping, my God, don't _you_ talk, for you're hardly awake yet."

The mate made a survey, found no damage, and remarked in soliloquy:

"That's funny. Where can the water have come from?"

"Not funny at all," said Jacob, with some irritation; "get away and
lend them poor lads a hand. She might have foundered for all you
cared."

This was grave language to use to a superior officer, but the justice
of it was evidenced by the submissive composure in which it was
received. It was evidently soaking into the mate's thick skull that the
water had not come from the skylight, and this idea was borne out by
his not mentioning the matter to the lads when he went to their
assistance. In spite of their weary and almost exhausted condition,
they had to have their joke, so said to the officer:

"You're very wet, Tom; where have you been?"

"Been be darned!" said Thomas; "I've been nowhere. You shut up and
attend to your work."

"That's all very fine, but 'nowhere' was what the monkey said when he
was accused of stealing nuts," retorted the humourist.

The dialogue was cut short by the helmsman shouting out: "Two lights on
the port bow."

One turned out to be a distress signal, and the other a red light. The
dawn was breaking into the sky, and in less than half an hour daylight
had forced its way through the dull grey mist, and brought the vessels
in sight of each other. They were close to: one was a fishing smack,
and the other a brig, labouring heavily in the trough of the sea, and
flying a flag on the main rigging, just as the _Blake_ had been doing
the previous day. All hands were on deck, including the captain, and
every eye was fixed on the sinking vessel. One of the sailors went on
to the foreyard to ascertain more distinctly what was going on. As soon
as he got aloft he bellowed something which could not be made out owing
to the uproar, and finding that he could not make his voice heard, he
made his way to the deck, and amid much excitement conveyed the belief
that the brig was the _Silversp