housand shreds. For an hour
the squall raged--a tempest in brief--then swept away to the south-east
on its furious journey, leaving peace again. Needless perhaps to say,
that after such a squall it was hopeless to look for our missing ones.
The sudden storm had certainly driven us several miles away front the
spot where they disappeared, and, although we carefully made what haste
was possible back along the line we were supposed to have come, not
a vestige of hope was in any one's mind that we should ever see them
again.

Nor did we. Whether that madness, which I had feared was coming upon
Goliath during our previous night's conversation, suddenly overpowered
him and impelled him to commit the horrible deed, what more had
passed between him and the skipper to even faintly justify so awful a
retaliation--these things were now matters of purest speculation. As if
they had never been, the two men were blotted out--gone before God in
full-blown heat of murder and revengeful fury.

On the same evening Mr. Count mustered all hands on the quarter-deck,
and addressed us thus: "Men, Captain Slocum is dead, and, as a
consequence, I command the ship. Behave yourself like men, not presuming
upon kindness or imagining that I am a weak, vacillating old man with
whom you can do as you like, and you will find in me a skipper who will
do his duty by you as far as lies in his power, nor expect more from you
than you ought to render. If, however, you DO try any tricks, remember
that I am an old hand, equal to most of the games that men get up to.
I do want--if you will help me--to make this a comfortable as well as a
successful ship. I hope with all my heart we shall succeed."

In answer to this manly and affecting little speech, which confirmed
my previous estimate of Captain Count's character, were he but free to
follow the bent of his natural, kindly inclinations, and which I have
endeavoured to translate out of his usual dialect, a hearty cheer
was raised by all hands, the first ebullition of general good feeling
manifested throughout the voyage. Hearts rose joyfully at the prospect
of comfort to be gained by thoughtfulness on the part of the commander;
nor from that time forward did any sign of weariness of the ship or
voyage show itself among us, either on deck or below.

The news soon spread among us that, in consequence of the various losses
of boats and gear, the captain deemed it necessary to make for Honolulu,
where fresh s