A butt had
been started. A heavy sea was running at the time, but I hoped the
boats would live. I ordered them to be lowered when the cry arose that
the ship was sinking. A panic seized my crew, and all hands rushed to
the sides. Some leaped into one boat, some into another. Almost
immediately the boats were swamped, and I had the misery to see the poor
fellows drowned before my eyes. I alone remained on deck. The ship
floated longer than I expected, and I had time to lash together the
imperfect raft on which you found me, get it overboard, and to leap upon
it, and with only a few biscuits which I stuffed into my pockets and a
bottle of water. Had I not taken them I must have perished. How I
could have existed for a whole week, as I did, I know not; but I must
have been very far gone, when through the mercy of Heaven you found me."

"You have indeed escaped from a terrible danger," said Tom. "But I wish
that you could have given more perfect information about the rock on
which you saw the signal flying, and its position."

"I noted it down at the time, sir, but my log was lost, and the events
which have since occurred have put that and many other things out of my
head, though I have been trying in vain to recall it. I do not remember
at all clearly how many weeks' sail we were from Hobart Town, or how far
I ran after sighting the rock; nor, indeed, how long I must have been on
the raft, though while I retained my consciousness it seemed an age. On
considering over the matter, I conclude that the gale could not have
lasted much less than a week, and perhaps longer."

Tom, on obtaining this important information, at once communicated it to
Jack, who immediately went to Captain Cooper, and had a conversation
with him.

"It is within the range of possibilities that the _Empress_ may have
been lost on the rock sighted by Captain Cooper, though how she could
have got so far to the east, when she should have hauled up long before
for Aden, it is difficult to say," observed Jack, when afterwards
talking the matter over with the lieutenant and master. "Probably her
machinery broke down, as ours did."

"And meeting with a gale, she had to run before it," remarked the
master. "These steam-kettles of ours can never be depended upon. I
wish we could go back to the good old sailing ships. When we had them
we knew what we were about, and took good care to keep off a lee shore;
or, when it came on to blow, we hove