their stock of fresh water would have been
rapidly diminished,--perhaps altogether spilled into the salt sea,
before they should have become aware of the disaster. As it was, they
perceived the danger in good time; and, instead of taking down the oar,
at once desisted from their intention.

It now became a question as to whether they should proceed any further
in the design of rowing the raft to windward. With a single oar they
could make but little way; and the other was already occupied in doing a
duty from which it could not possibly be spared.

It is true there were still left the fragments of the hand spike that
had been ground between the teeth of the surviving shark, and afterwards
picked up as they drifted past it. This might serve instead of the oar
to support the mouth of the water-bag; and as soon as this idea occurred
to them they set about carrying it into execution.

It took but a few minutes of time to substitute one stick for the other;
and then, both oars being free, they seated themselves on opposite sides
of the raft, and commenced propelling it against the wind,--in a
direction contrary to that in which the mysterious voices had been
heard.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

SHIP AHOY!

They had not made over a dozen strokes of their oars,--which they
handled cautiously and in silence, all the while listening intently,--
when their ears were again saluted by sounds similar to those first
heard by little William, and which he had conjectured to be the voice of
a young girl. As before, the utterance was very low,--murmured, as if
repeating a series of words,--in fact, as if the speaker was engaged in
a quiet conversation.

"Shiver my timbers!" exclaimed the sailor, as soon as the voice again
ceased to be heard. "If that bean't the palaver o' a little girl, my
name wur never Ben Brace on a ship's book. A smalley wee thing she seem
to be; not bigger than a marlinspike. It sound like as if she wur
talkin' to some un. What the Ole Scratch can it mean, Will'm?"

"I don't know. Could it be a mermaid?"

"Could it? In course it could."

"But are there mermaids, Ben?"

"Maremaids! Be theer maremaids? That what you say? Who denies there
ain't? Nobody but disbelevin land-lubbers as never seed nothin'
curious, 'ceptin' two-headed calves and four-legged chickens. In coorse
there be maremaids. I've seed some myself; but I've sailed with a
shipmate as has been to a part o' the Indyan Ocean, wher