r existence up in the sky, are going to find out how
they like the bottom of the sea."

By this time the night was nearly over, and when morning dawned and
Adair looked out, not a particle of the ship remained entire except her
engines, which, like some huge creature, could just be distinguished,
surrounded by the masses of foam breaking on the bar, while over the
surface of the harbour and outside along the coast could be seen
fragments of wreck of every size, tossed here and there by the waves.
Adair heaved a deeper sigh than he had ever done before in his life.

The storm still continued to rage as fiercely as at first, and it was
impossible to secure any portions of the wreck except those which were
washed ashore in the harbour, and even to do that was a service of
danger, as they were tossed about, threatening to crush those who
approached them. Still Adair thought that it might be possible to save
wood sufficient for the building of a vessel. It would, at all events,
give the men something to do and keep up their spirits with a prospect
of getting off. The carpenter shook his head when he spoke to him on
the subject.

"I am afraid, sir, it will be a rum sort of craft we should build, but
if you will permit me to say so, I think if we were to lengthen some of
the boats and rise upon them two or three feet, we should produce a
better style of craft than we are likely to put together."

Adair thought the matter over, and discussed it with Saint Maur. They
agreed that it was possible, and that, should some fearful convulsion of
the island take place, it would be as well to have the boats thus
fitted, in order that some of their lives, at all events, might be
preserved.

"We will hope that some ship will come in sight before the land sinks
down to the bottom of the sea," said Saint Maur, in a cheerful tone.

The captain just then remembered that the men had been on foot all that
morning without breakfast.

"Pipe to breakfast, Mr Smalls," he sang out to the boatswain, who was
near.

The shrill pipe of the boatswain was heard sounding above the roaring of
the breakers, the howling of the wind, and the crash of the falling
rocks, which still, though in smaller pieces than before, came toppling
down from the summit of the cliff above into the seething waters of the
harbour.

The men willingly obeyed the call, and were quickly seated at their mess
tables, talking and laughing away as usual. Adair and Saint M