neatness of a hunted hare. He bounded into
the boat which was immediately shoved off, and the sailors rowed away,
leaving Paul to return and liberate the captain at leisure.

Silently the trio stood and watched the receding boat, until it was lost
in the darkness of the night. Then they looked at each other solemnly.
Their case was certainly a grave one.

"Cast away on an unknown shore," murmured the captain, in a low tone; as
if he communed with his own spirit rather than with his companions,
"without food, without a ship or boat--without hope!"

"Nay, Master Trench," said Paul, "not without hope; for `God is our
refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble,' so says His
own Word, as my mother has often read to me."

"It is well for you, Paul," returned the captain, "that you can find
comfort in such words--I can find none. Stern realities and facts are
too strong for me. How can I take comfort in unfulfilled promises?
Here we are in trouble enough, surely. In what sense is God a `refuge'
to us--or `strength,' or a `present help'? Why, we are left absolutely
destitute here, without so much as a bite of food to keep our bodies and
souls together."

He spoke with some bitterness, for he was still chafing under the sense
of the wrong which he had suffered at the hands of men to whom he had
been invariably kind and forbearing. As he turned from Paul with a
gesture of impatience his foot struck against the canvas bag of pork
which the man Taylor had flung to him on leaving, and which had been
forgotten. He stopped suddenly and gazed at it; so did Paul.

"Looks like as if God had already helped us--at least to food--does it
not?" said the latter.

"It was Taylor helped us to that," objected Trench.

"And who put it into Taylor's heart to help us?" asked Paul. "He is one
of the worst men of our crew, so we can hardly say it was his own
tenderness, and certainly it was not the devil who moved him to it. Am
I wrong in holding that it was `Our Father'?"

"I believe you are right, Paul. Anyhow, I have neither the capacity nor
the inclination to dispute the point now. Pick up the bag, Olly, and
come along. We must try to find some sort of shelter in which to spend
the rest o' the night and consider our future plans."

With a lighter heart and firmer faith, Paul Burns followed his leader,
silently thanking God as he went along for thus far, and so opportunely,
demonstrating His own faithfulness.