as anyone who has used the sea will know, was a pretty tall order for a
young fellow like myself, with such assistance only as four women and a
boy could afford me. Of course there was the possibility that the wreck
might break up during the next gale. But I hardly thought she would,
because she must have driven to her present berth while last night's
breeze was at its height, and from the look of things generally I
doubted whether a sea heavy enough to destroy her would ever reach us
where we then lay. The reef would break it up and render it practically
harmless before it could get so far as the spot which we occupied.

Still, I realised that it would not be wise to trust too much to that
belief; and I determined to get to work upon some sort of craft at the
earliest moment possible. Meanwhile, however, since under the most
favourable circumstances the wreck must obviously be our home for some
time to come, unless indeed we should be lucky enough to be seen and
taken off, the first thing to be done was to clear the ship of water and
get the cabins dry again as speedily as possible; and I determined that
I would make that my first job.

Having now decided upon something in the nature of a plan of campaign, I
returned to the drawing-room, descending to it by way of the companion--
the stairway of which was still intact--with the object of making my
report to Mrs Vansittart and submitting my plans for her approval. But
when I reached the apartment I found the occupants in the very act of
descending to the dining-room, in order to partake of breakfast. This
had been prepared by the two stewardesses, the senior of whom--the young
Frenchwoman, Lizette Charpentier, who also acted as Mrs Vansittart's
maid--had just made her appearance with the information that the meal
was ready. I therefore decided to postpone what I had to say until
after breakfast, believing that everybody would be the better able to
listen to bad news if they were first fortified with a good meal.

CHAPTER TEN.

ADAPTING OURSELVES TO CIRCUMSTANCES.

To ward off the enquiries that sprang to Mrs Vansittart's lips the
moment I appeared was a little difficult, but I managed it by simply
declining to say a word until after breakfast. When, however, we
presently all sat down at the table together, I soon perceived that the
task of breaking to her the full extent of the night's disaster, to
which I had been looking forward with dread, was likely