“But the vessels may be separated again, as they have been before,” suggested O’Hara, who was certainly very much opposed to having any of the Josephine’s officers under his command. “We are not likely to be separated again: we have had one hard storm, and we are not in much danger of having another before we get to Madeira, which will be in three or four days at the most.” “I will do the best I can, sir,” replied O’Hara, touching his cap to the senior. “I don’t like to have the students serve as firemen,” continued Mr. Fluxion. “Possibly I may be able to find a crew of firemen for the steamer.” “How will it be possible for you to find a crew of firemen here in mid-ocean?” asked Mr. Pelham, smiling with incredulity. “The Josephine has not been without an adventure any more than the Tritonia,” replied Mr. Fluxion. “Yesterday morning at daylight we picked up a boat in which were six men. They are all Frenchmen and Italians; and say their steamer was sunk in a collision with another vessel in the night. Most of the crew and passengers got on board of the other vessel, and they took a boat to go to her; but it was upset in the heavy sea. They righted the boat, and all but one of them succeeded in getting into it again; but the other vessel was out of sight in the fog then, and they were unable to find her. This is the story they tell; and I have no doubt it is true. Very likely they belonged to the Ville d’Angers.” “If they did, how was it possible for you to have picked them up?” asked Mr. Pelham. “The steamer could not have been a great way from either of us when you heard the guns, though the Tritonia, as we may see by comparing the reckoning, was considerably to the northward of the Josephine,” added Mr. Fluxion. “But where are these men? They have recognized the steamer by this time, if she was the one in which they were employed.” “Probably they have not seen her yet,” replied Mr. Fluxion, laughing. “They slept all day yesterday; and, as I did not see them on deck when I left the schooner, I suppose they are sleeping off another day. They asked for wine, and insisted that they must have it; and they have slept all the time since I told them we had none on board.” The change was announced to the ship’s company of the Ville d’Angers; and the half-dozen students who were required to return to the Tritonia were indignant and dissatisfied; but none of them dared say any thing in the presence of Mr. Fluxion. They were ordered into the Josephine’s boat, and left on board of their own vessel. The cutter then proceeded to the Josephine, and both vice-principals boarded her. O’Hara went with them.