than two feet of water in her aft."

Three or four minutes passed, and the boat still lay beneath their feet,
sinking, apparently, no lower. "I will look round again," Hiram said;
"it seems to me as she has got jammed, and won't go any lower."

Examining the boat, he found that it was so; she was so completely
wedged among the branches that she could sink no lower.

"It's all right," he said joyously. "Jump down, all of you, and lend a
hand and unreeve the halliards from the mast and bind her as tight as
you can to the branches; pass the ropes under the thwarts. Make haste
before she shakes herself free." For the tree, now well clear of the
shelter of the land, was swaying heavily.

The work was soon done, and the boat securely fastened to the tree.

"How is it the tree lies steady without rolling over and over, Hiram?"
Frank asked, after they paused on the completion of the work.

"I reckon it's the boat as keeps it steady, lad. As long as she lies
here she is no weight, but she would be a big weight to lift out of
water, and I reckon she keeps the whole affair steady. It couldn't be
better if we had planned it. All these boughs break the force of the
waves, and keep off a good bit of the wind too; we ain't going to do
badly after all."

"Pete, get me that half-bottle of rum from my locker and a tin mug. That
is right. Now here is a good strong tot each for you to make your faces
black again; you were white with fear when we got you out of that cabin,
and I don't blame you; I should have been in just as bad a fright myself
if I had been there, though I shouldn't have made such a noise over it.
Still, one can't expect men of one colour to have the same ways as those
of another, and I am bound to say that if the boat had gone down your
boss would have lost four good pieces of property. Feel more
comfortable--eh?"

The negroes grinned assent. Easily cast down, their spirits were as
easily raised, and seeing that the white men appeared to consider that
there was no urgent danger, they soon plucked up their courage.

"I think," Frank said, "the best thing will be to manage to get the
cabin door open. We can put a tarpaulin over the hole in the roof, and
we shall then have a shelter we can go into; the water is not over the
lockers, but I shouldn't like to go in until we get the door open. If
this tree did take it into its head to turn round, it would be awkward
if there were two or three of us in there, with only t