the sail was once more
hoisted, David trying to keep the boat as nearly in the direction of the
coast of South Africa as he could guess, during the day steering by the
sun; but at night she went as the breeze willed, and so it continued for
days, the boys getting weaker and weaker through starvation, although
they had saved plenty of water in their cask to assuage the pangs of
thirst, during which time they never saw a bird or a fish to which they
could get near.

They sighted several ships, but they were too far off to attract their
notice; and when, finally, a sudden squall in the night blew away their
mast and sail, and left them tossing helplessly on the ocean, starving
and worn out with fatigue, they gave up all hope, and lay down in the
bottom of the boat to die--Jonathan being the first to succumb.

"Good-bye, Dave!" said he, raising himself with a feeble effort.

"Good-bye, Jonathan!" said the other, grasping his companion's hand, as
he thought, for the last time.

"I think I am going to die," continued Jonathan: "my head is spinning
round, and I feel faint. I will lie down a bit until the end comes.
Good-bye, Dave, once more!"

And he sank down again into a restless sleep, the other following his
example a moment or two afterwards; first giving one last haggard glance
around the horizon--on which not a single sail appeared in sight--as if
bidding it an eternal farewell.

STORY THREE, CHAPTER SEVEN.

RESCUED.

"Boat ahoy!"

The two boys might have been asleep for hours only, or insensible for
days, they never knew for certain which, and nobody else could inform
them; but that shout ringing in their ears awoke them, with a thrill of
agony that it might be merely a dream of their disordered imagination.

One look, however, satisfied them to the contrary, when they painfully
raised themselves into a sitting posture in the bottom of the boat--
which they could hardly do by reason of their weakness--holding on to
the gunwales on either side as they dragged up their attenuated bodies,
and directing their sunken eyes, which rolled with incipient delirium,
to the point from whence the hail came.

They could have screamed for joy, but their voices failed them, and
their emotion found relief in tears and stifling sobs.

A large ship lay to about a hundred yards off; and a boat, which had
evidently just been lowered from its side, was being pulled rapidly
towards them.

As soon as the boat came alongs