oks in their pockets? They
searched, but in vain, and as to going below to look for them, they all
declared that it would be impossible. The brig, however, continued to
float; that was something, but Tom could not help acknowledging that
they would be unable to hold out another night. Even he, as he felt the
pangs of hunger and his mouth parched with thirst, began to despair.
Desmond and Billy were already far gone. He gazed at the countenances
of his two messmates. "They'll never see another sun rise, and shall
I?" Tom began seriously to consider how best to prepare himself for his
inevitable fate.

Just then Casey sang out, "A breeze! a breeze! I felt it on my cheek, a
moment ago!" He endeavoured to wet his finger with his parched tongue,
but could hardly do so. He held up his hand. "It's from the southward,
and if we can manage to build a raft, we may yet reach the land, or get
into the line of vessels running between Sydney and the northern ports."

These exclamations aroused Tom; even Desmond looked up.

"A breeze! Yes, indeed, there is, and a sail too. She is standing
towards us!" He pointed to the southward. A patch of white canvas, on
which the sun was shining brightly, appeared on the blue ocean. Casey,
at at the same time, caught sight of it.

"Hurrah! hurrah! we are saved; she cannot fail to see us."

The cheer was taken up by his companions in misfortune. Even Billy
lifted up his head.

"Is it true, Rogers, that you see a sail?" he asked.

"As true as that we are here, but we must not make too sure of being
discovered," replied Tom.

"Sure, they would not be after passing us, if they once get sight of the
wreck," said Desmond.

"That's just what they may not happen to do," answered Tom, who had
become much less sanguine than formerly, and, hungry and worn out, was
inclined to look on the dark side of things.

The breeze increased, the stranger drew nearer and nearer. Tom and
Desmond were both of opinion that she was a man-of-war. Casey thought
the same. The question was, however, whether she would pass them by.
She was steering due west, and an object so low in the water as the hull
of the brig now was, might not be visible. On she came, until she was
about south-east of them, and as yet it was evident that those on board
had not seen the wreck, though she herself was easily made out to be a
large man-of-war steamer. Proudly she was gliding on, when her yards
were braced up a