"If you stay aboard long enough, I'll make good fishermen of you yet," said the captain with a chuckle, as he noticed the colour in their cheeks and the sparkle in their eyes when they surveyed the mass of fish they had helped to catch.
"Now, just turn to and help to dress 'em," said Marcus.
The boys respectfully declined to join in this work, and went to sit in the bow as far as possible away from the board on which the fish were being prepared for drying.
They had been so busy fishing, the time had passed very quickly, and, tired and sleepy, they soon went to bed, thankful that the storm was over and their seasickness gone.
The morning dawned bright and clear, and when they went on deck at sunrise, Captain Dare pointed to the islands toward which they were once more sailing.
"Home again! home again, from a foreign shore!" sang Ben; and Ralph was at ease enough now to join in the song.
"That sounds good," said the captain approvingly. "Give us another. Sing us a hymn tune."
After a little consulting together the two boys sang the chant, "The Lord is my Shepherd." When they ceased, the captain said,--
"Give me that again; twice more, and then I'll let you off. I never heard anything so good as that!"
The boys complied, and wondered, as they sang it, why there seemed so much more in the chant than they had ever noticed before in singing it at school.