ke, or followed their example.

While the weather remained fine and they had enough to eat, they kept up
their spirits, and began to talk of what they would do when they got on
shore. Two or three of them indeed declared that they had had enough
knocking about at sea, and that if they should land on a pleasant island
with good-natured natives, they would take up their quarters there and
marry wives and live a life of ease.

"If you do so, lads, you will run the risk of becoming heathens like
them, and forget God and all His benefits," observed old Tom.
"Remember, if we do land safely, it will not be our own right arm or our
own strength which will have preserved us, but His merciful kindness;
and I tell you, you will be ungrateful fellows if you do as you
propose."

"Old Tom is always preaching," muttered one of the men to whom he spoke.
"I don't see why we have not a right to please ourselves."

Old Tom did not hear this remark, and he probably would not then have
answered even if he had.

For ten days or so the voyage had continued without any change in the
weather. The sun was very hot, and the fish, which they thought had
been well salted and smoked, began to taste very strong. Harry and
Dickey could only eat very small pieces at a time, with the help of some
cocoa-nut and a sip of water between each mouthful. Next day a perfect
calm came on, and the sun beat down with intense force on the boat.
Although their provisions were covered up and kept as cool as possible,
the fish grew worse and worse. Several of the men, when it was served
out to them, threw it overboard with disgust, declaring that they could
eat it no longer.

"Seeing we have nothing else to live upon, we should be thankful that we
have got that, and not throw it from us," observed old Tom. "It's
bad-tasted, I'll allow; but as long as we can manage to get it down it
will help to support life, and we should try to eat it."

Harry and Bass did as he advised, and as yet they did not find their
strength much diminished.

Most of the men, however, began to complain of pains and aches, and
unwillingly got out their oars. Tom urged them to pull on, in the hope
that they might in a day or two reach some island which Harry thought
could not be far off.

Day after day they had gone on, ever appearing to be in the midst of the
same circle where sky and sea met, without sighting land or a distant
sail. At night, while one watch rowed the other s