"Not a soul will be saved, sir," replied the master, shuddering. "I should say it were impossible, Mr Hillyer; but we all owe Heaven a death; and if they go first and we go after them, at all events, let us do our duty until the time comes--but never despair. As long as there is life, there is hope; so now let us go on deck, and put as good a face on it as we can." CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. I returned on deck followed by the master. "The barometer is rising," said I aloud, to the first lieutenant; "so I presume the gale will break about twelve o'clock." "I am glad to hear of it, sir; for we have quite enough of it," replied the first-lieutenant. "Do you see the Dryad?" "No, sir; it's quite thick again to leeward: we have not seen her these ten minutes." Thank God for that, thought I, for they will never see her again. "What soundings had you last?" "Fourteen fathoms, sir." "I expect we shall cross the tail of the bank in much less," replied I; "but, when once clear, we shall have sea-room." As the captain is an oracle in times of danger, the seamen caught every word which was uttered from my mouth; and what they gathered from what I had said, satisfied them that they were in no immediate danger. Nevertheless, the master walked the deck as if he was stupefied with the impending crisis. No wonder, poor fellow; with a wife and family depending upon him for support, it is not to be expected that a man can look upon immediate dissolution without painful feelings. A sailor should never marry: or if he does, for the benefit of the service, his marriage should prove an unhappy one, and then he would become more reckless than before. As for my own thoughts, they may be given in a few words--they were upon the vanity of human wishes. Whatever I had done with the one object I had in view--whatever might have been my success had I lived--whether I might have been wedded to Minnie some future day, or what may have resulted, good, bad, or indifferent, as to future, all was to be, in a few hours, cut short by the will of Heaven. In the next world there was neither marriage nor giving in marriage--in the next world, name, titles, wealth, everything worldly was as nought-- and all I had to do was to die like a man, and do my duty to the last, trusting to a merciful God to forgive me my sins and offences; and with this philosophy I stood prepared for the event.