"No doubt of that," replied the captain; "the only wonder is that she did not sink immediately."
"Oh, how I hope the poor crew have been saved!" exclaimed Mrs Weldon.
"Most probably," replied the captain, "they would all have taken to the boats. It is as likely as not that the ship which did the mischief would continue its course quite unconcerned"
"Surely, you cannot mean," cried Mrs Weldon, "that any one could be capable of such inhumanity?"
"Only too probable," answered Captain Hull, "unfortunately, such instances are very far from rare"
He scanned the drifting ship carefully and continued,-
"No, I cannot see any sign of boats here, I should guess that the crew have made an attempt to get to land, at such a distance as this, however, from America or from the islands of the Pacific I should be afraid that it must be hopeless."
"Is it not possible," asked Mrs Weldon, "that some poor creature may still survive on board, who can tell what has happened?"
"Hardly likely, madam; otherwise there would have been some sort of a signal in sight. But it is a matter about which we will make sure."
The captain waved his hand a little in the direction in which he wished to go, and said quietly,-