The men in the long-boat bawled to the men in the cutter, and the men in the cutter shouted their answers back, the upshot of which was that Mr. Wheeler decided to get back into the track of trade.
"Make all sail," he shouted to the men in the long-boat, "and keep her head nor' east."
And, "Ay, ay, sir," came the answer over the water.
The men in the cutter ran up the sails too, and soon we were sailing after the long-boat. The longboat, however, sailed much faster than the cutter. Sometimes she lowered her sails on purpose to wait for us.
The weather was perfect. The sea was beautiful. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and hardly a ripple on the waves!
"We could hold out for weeks in weather like this!" cried the doctor cheerfully. And then to Gilliland:
"The boats are well provisioned, you say?"
"A month's provisions on board, sir. That was the captain's orders. Me and Hookway had the doing of it."
"And water?" asked the doctor anxiously.
"Plenty of water, and rum likewise," replied the sailor, with an affectionate glance at one of the little barrels.