“It isn’t such a tremendous long way, Jonathan. We can run it easily, if the wind lasts from the same quarter, in about eight days; and if we don’t quite fetch the Cape, we’ll reach some part of South Africa at all events—that is, if we don’t come across the track of a ship, and get picked up before then.”
“But even eight days, David. What shall we do for food all that time?” said Jonathan, who was by no means of so hopeful a disposition as his friend.
“Don’t you recollect, old fellow,” rejoined David, “what you said just now, of God watching over us? As He has done so up to now, don’t you think He’ll look after us still, and provide some means by which we shall not starve?”
“Yes,” said the other, feeling the rebuke, “you are quite right, David; and I was wrong to doubt His mercy. But, oh, I do feel so hungry!”
“So do I,” replied David. “But we’ll have to grin and bear it for a while, old chap, as we are not near old Slush’s caboose, on board the Sea Rover, and I don’t see any grub anywhere in sight. However, Jonathan, we haven’t felt the pangs of real hunger yet, and needn’t begin to shout out before we’re hurt. Let us do something—make sail on the boat and abandon our old raft, which has served us a good turn—and we’ll wear off the edge of our appetites.”
David’s advice was followed. Taking only the life-buoy with them, they cast loose from the raft almost with feelings of regret, for it had saved their lives, and it seemed like ingratitude to leave it there tossing alone on the surface of the deep now that they had no further service for it; and, hoisting the cutter’s “leg-of-mutton” sail, and steering with an oar, as the boat’s rudder was missing, they ran before the wind, David directing their course, as nearly as he could possibly guess to the north-east, by the sun, which had now passed the meridian.
“I say, Jonathan,” said David, after a time, when they had quite lost sight of the raft, and must have run some miles, “just rummage in the locker again, and see if their is anything else we passed over in our first search?”
“No,” said Jonathan, after going down on his knees and looking into every corner of the receptacle with his fingers, so that not a crevice was left unsearched, “nothing but the fishing-lines.”
“Well, let us have them out and see if we can catch anything.”
“But we’ve got no bait.”