“All right, lads,” I said cheerfully.  “Now we understand each other and can get at work.  We’ll divide into watches first of all—­two men aft here, and one at the bow.  Watkins and I will take it watch and watch, but there is enough right now for all hands to turn to and make the craft shipshape.  Two of you bail out that water till she’s dry, and the others get out that extra sail forward and rig up a jib.  She’ll ride easier and make better progress with more canvas showing.  How does she head, Watkins?”

“Nor’west, by west, sir.”

“You can give two points more west, with the jib drawing—­the sea is not quite so heavy?”

“Ay, ay, sir—­she’s riding fairly free, an’ the wind is shifting nor’east.  Thar won’t be no storm terday.”

The men worked cheerfully enough, finding sufficient to do to keep them busy for half an hour, and thus Dorothy and I watched them, whispering occasionally to each other, and commenting on the varied appearance of the fellows.  They were rather an interesting lot in their way, the types familiar to me, but strange to her experience—­sea scum, irresponsible, reckless, to be ruled by iron hand, yet honest enough according to their standards.  The faces were coarse and dissipated, and many a half-smothered oath floated back to our ears, but I saw in them nothing to fear, or cause uneasiness.  The sun had dissipated the clouds, while the swell of the sea had sufficiently subsided to permit of a wide view in every direction.  The vista only served to increase our sense of loneliness and peril.  We were a tiny chip tossed on the immensity of the waters, stretching away to the distant horizons.  It was a vast scene of desolation, without another object to break its grim monotony—­just those endless surges of gray-green water brightened by the touch of the sun.  Again and again I swept my eyes about the circle in a vain effort to perceive something of hope; it was useless—­we were alone on the boundless ocean.

I know not what we talked about during those hours; of all we had passed through together, no doubt; of our chances of escape and our dreams of the future.  Her bravery and confidence increased my own courage.  Knowing as I did the uncertainty of our position, I needed her blind faith to keep me hopeful.  The men gradually knocked off work, and lay down, and finally I also yielded to her pleadings and fell into a sound sleep.

It seemed as though I scarcely lost consciousness, yet I must have slept for an hour or more, my head pillowed on her lap.  What aroused me I could not determine, but Schmitt was again at the steering paddle, and both he and Dorothy were staring across me out over the port quarter, as though at some vision in the distance, sufficiently strange to enchain their entire attention.

“What is it?” I asked eagerly, but before the words were entirely uttered, a hoarse voice forward bawled out excitedly.

“There you see it; straight out agin that cloud edge.  By God, it’s a full-rigged schooner.”