e keg contained; and which was at once administered,--
first to Lilly Lalee, then to William's own especial protector, Ben
Brace; and lastly, after a fresh draw from the keg, to the real owner of
the wine,--the Coromantee. The spirit of the grape, grown upon the
declivities of Teneriffe, acted like magic on all three; and in a few
minutes both sailor and sea-cook were sufficiently restored to think
about taking certain prudent measures, that had now become necessary,
and that would require a fresh exertion of their strength.

These measures were the recovery of the empty casks which William had
detached from the _Catamaran_; and for the want of which that improvised
craft not only lay much lower in the water than when they had left her,
but was altogether a less seaworthy structure.

The sailor's chest,--for which its owner now felt increased affection,--
was the first thing secured; and next the cask upon which Snowball had
bestraddled himself to get a better view. Both were near, and easily
reached by a little rowing.

The other three casks had drifted to a considerable distance to leeward,
and were still continuing their course; but as all three were in sight,
the crew of the _Catamaran_ anticipated no great difficulty in
overtaking them.

Nor did any occur. A pair of oars handled by the sailor and sea-cook,
with the sailor-boy standing up to direct the course in which they
should pull, soon brought the raft down upon the straying hogsheads; and
they were picked up one after the other, the severed ropes respliced,
and all of them set back in their old positions,--so that but for the
wet garments clinging around the bodies of those who had been overboard,
and perhaps the pale and wearied expression upon their countenances, no
one could have told that anything had gone wrong on board the
_Catamaran_.

As to their wet clothes, none of them cared much for that; and if there
had been any discomfort in it, it was not likely to continue long under
the hot sun then shining down upon them. So rapidly was this part of
the damage becoming repaired that all three,--but more especially
Snowball--were now surrounded by a cloud of evaporation that would soon
dry every stitch of clothing they had on.

The negro,--partly from the natural heat proceeding from his own body,
and partly from the strong sunbeams,--was smoking like a fresh kindled
pit of charcoal: so that, through the strata of steam that encompassed
his head an