"Not one, sir, to be seen near or far, and we've never seen or overhauled them since. This was a terrible trial for us, as we had no food. No, nor water. On'y the rum, that could only excite us and make us by and by more wretched and unhappy.
"I put it to the vote, cap'n. Should we drink the rum or leave it till it was more wanted? Right bravely came the answer, ringing from for'ard:
"'We won't touch or taste it, till we ain't able to sit up.'
"All that day we rowed as well as we could, watchin' sea, watchin' sky, for a sight of a boat of our own, for sight of a sail. But the sun went down like a great blood orange, and weary and faint now, we hardly cared to row.
"There was neither moon nor stars that night, and so I just lashed the helm so as to keep her driftin' a kind of in her course.
"We stepped a little mast for'ard, and hung up our lantern. We blessed God that we had this, anyhow.
"Then we tumbled down to sleep, and long and sound that sleep must have been, for it was the short gray gloamin' o' mornin' when we pulled ourselves together again.
"And what think you was the first thing my hot eyes caught sight of?
"Why, cap'n, as sure as,—thanks to you!—I'm now a livin' man, it was our own biggest boat—a kind o' pinnace. She was stove in at the bows, and bottom up."
"How could it have happened?" said Captain Leeward, sympathetically.