us to get east'ard, that's true; _but_ it'll help
them as well--and with that broad spread o' canvas they've rigged up,
they might come down on us faster than we can row."

"Could we not rig a sail too?" inquired the boy. "Don't you think we
might, Ben?"

"Just the thing I war thinkin' o', lad; I dare say we can. Let me see;
we've got that old tarpaulin and the lying jib-sail under us. The
tarpaulin itself will be big enough. How about ropes? Ah! there's the
sheets of the jib still stickin' to the sail; and then there's the
handspike and our two oars. The oars 'll do without the handspike.
Let's set 'em up then, and rig the tarpaulin between 'em."

As the sailor spoke, he had risen to his feet; and after partially
drawing the canvas off from the planks and spars, he soon accomplished
the task of setting the two oars upright upon the raft. This done, the
tarpaulin was spread between them, and when lashed so as to lie taut
from one to the other, presented a surface of several square yards to
the breeze,--quite as much sail as the craft was capable of carrying.

It only remained for them to look to the steering of the raft, so as to
keep it head on before the wind; and this could be managed by means of
the handspike, used as a rudder or steering-oar.

Laying hold of this, and placing himself abaft of the spread tarpaulin,
Ben had the satisfaction of seeing that the sail acted admirably; and as
soon as its influence was fairly felt, the raft surged on through the
water at a rate of not less than five knots to the hour.

It was not likely that the large raft that carried the dreaded crew of
would-be cannibals was going any faster; and therefore, whatever
distance they might be off, there would be no great danger of their
getting any nearer.

This confidence being firmly established, the sailor no longer gave a
thought to the peril from which he and his youthful comrade had escaped.
For all that, the prospect that lay before them was too terrible to
permit their exchanging a word,--either of comfort or congratulation,--
and for a long time they sat in a sort of desponding silence, which was
broken only by the rippling surge of the waters as they swept in pearly
froth along the sides of the raft.

CHAPTER FOUR.

HUNGER.--DESPAIR.

The breeze proved only what sailors call a catspaw, rising no higher
than just to cause a ripple on the water, and lasting only about an
hour. When it was over, the sea again