As the boat broke
clear of the ship I was on the point of hauling myself up, but I could
not bear to desert him."

"Just like you," said Tom. "I hope he will recover."

"No fear of that. We Irishmen have good hard heads. If there is a
doctor on board he will soon bring him round."

"Have you a doctor on board?" asked Tom of the mate.

"I guess we have; a smart man he is, too," answered the mate. "Are
there any more of you to pick up?"

"No, thank you," replied Tom; "all the officers and ship's company of
our craft have been rescued."

"What craft was she?" asked the mate.

"The jolly-boat of her Majesty's ship _Dragon_," answered Tom.

"And how did you happen to be out here?" Tom explained that they had
lost their ship, and that they were steering for Guam, where they
expected to find her.

"I guess you'll not do that, for we put in there a week ago, and there
was no British man-of-war there at that time."

This was unsatisfactory news. The mate had not time to ask many more
questions before the boat was alongside. Tom and Desmond, on reaching
the deck, found the master, who informed him that he was Captain Paul
Sibley--that the ship by which the boat had been run down was the whaler
_Columbia_, of Boston. "I am very sorry for the accident," he added,
"but I do not see that any one was to blame. It could not be helped.
We could not see you, and you could not see us, and of course the
weakest went to the wall, or rather to the bottom. However, now you are
on board, you are welcome to remain until we can put you on board your
ship, or set you on shore wherever you wish to land. I guess it won't
be on any of the Solomon Islands of New Hebrides, where they have an
ugly fancy for eating their visitors."

"Thank you," answered Tom. "If our ship is not at Guam, where we expect
to find her, we must consider at what other place it would be best to
land, so that as soon as possible we may get on board a ship of war."

"Well, well, there, is no hurry," answered the captain. "And just now,
the best thing you can do is to get off your wet clothes and turn in. I
will have some shakedowns made up for you young gentlemen in my state
cabin, while your three men can go forward, and the doctor will look
after the one with the broken head."

Tom, Gerald, and Billy thanked the good-natured captain for his kind
offer, but hinted that, as they had had nothing but mashed yams and oil
for the last two days, they s