The wind is a fetchin' them this way.
Yonder's more o' the same sort risin' up in the west, an' that's the
direction from which it's a-blowin'. Ho! As I live, Will'm, there's
rain. I can see by the mist it's a-fallin' on the water yonder. It's
still far away,--twenty mile or so,--but that's nothing; an' if the wind
holds good in the same quarter, it _must_ come this way."

"But if it did, Ben," said William, doubtingly, "what good would it do
us? We could not drink much of the rain as it falls, and you know we
have nothing in which to catch a drop of it."

"But we have, boy,--we have our clothes and our shirts. If the rain
comes, it will fall like it always does in these parts, as if it were
spillin' out o' a strainer. We'll be soakin' wet in five minutes' time;
and then we can wring all out,--trousers, shirts, and every rag we've
got."

"But we have no vessel, Ben,--what could we wring the water into?"

"Into our months first: after that--ah! it be a pity. I never thought
o't. We won't be able to save a drop for another time. Any rate, if we
could only get one good quenchin', we might stand it several days
longer. I fancy we might catch some fish, if we were only sure about
the water. Yes, the rain's a-comin' on. Look at yon black clouds; and
see, there's lightning forkin' among 'em. That 's a sure sign it's
raining. Let's strip, and spread out our shirts so as to have them
ready."

As Ben uttered this admonition he was about proceeding to pull off his
pea-jacket, when an object came before his eyes causing him to desist.
At the same instant an exclamatory phrase escaping from his lips
explained to his companion why he had thus suddenly changed his
intention. The phrase consisted of two simple words, which written as
pronounced by Ben were, "Thee tarpolin."

Little William knew it was "the tarpauling" that was meant. He could
not be mistaken about that; for, even had he been ignorant of the
sailor's pronunciation of the words, the latter at that moment stood
pointing to the piece of tarred canvas spread upright between the oars;
and which had formerly served as a covering for the after-hatch of the
_Pandora_. William did not equally understand why his companion was
pointing to it.

He was not left long in ignorance.

"Nothing to catch the water in? That's what you sayed, little Will'm?
What do ye call that, my boy?"

"Oh!" replied the lad, catching at the idea of the sailor. "You mean--"