That storm showed no signs though of abating, and we watched on through the night, constantly on the strain, attacked as we were by alarms from below, and the furious assault of the winds and waves. Several times over during the night, when I was suffering from the cold, and faint with hunger and exhaustion, a horrible chilly feeling of despair came creeping over me. I began thinking of home and those there who would be heart-broken if I was lost; but always at these worst times something seemed to happen that took me out of myself, giving me work so particular to do that all my energies were directed to that duty, and in consequence I forgot my own troubles. Twice over, when Mr Brymer came with one or other of the men, Mr Denning expressed a wish to be relieved, and I had to take his arm and help him along under the shelter of the bulwarks to the saloon and the cabin where his sister was waiting anxiously for news, and as we struggled aft, he talked to me as freely as if I had been his brother. "Is there any hope for us, Dale?" he said on one occasion as we rested for a few moments underneath the bulwarks. "Oh yes," I replied. "Why not?" "I don't know, I'm not a sailor, but I should not have thought the ship could have kept on long like this without sinking." I laughed. "Why, she's a splendid boat," I said, "and quite strong, and so long as we've got plenty of sea-room, we shan't hurt." "You're talking like this to comfort me," he said. "No; I'm telling you the truth as far as I understand it. Of course I've never been out in a storm on the ocean before, but I've been in some big ones off the coast round Ireland, where we were always in danger of going on the rocks, which are awful there." "But the sea comes thundering down on the ship so." "What of that?" I replied. "The ship's hollow, and it sounds all the more, but the water is soft, and we go through it or ride over it somehow." "Ah, you're too young to know what fear is," he said sadly. "Oh no, I'm not," I cried, laughing. "I've been awfully frightened several times to-night, but I'm more afraid of Jarette and his gang than I am of the sea." "You have no sister on board," he said. "No bitter regrets for letting her come into such danger." "No," I said, rather chokingly; "but I've got people at home, and it would be very horrid to think I should never see them again." "Let's go on," he said laconically, and I helped him along, choosing the easiest moments till we were in shelter, and then without leaving hold of me he whispered-- "Make the best of things to her." There was a lamp burning in the cabin as we entered, and Miss Denning sprang to our side. "Oh, John," she cried piteously, "this will be death to you, drenched with the cold sea! Pray, pray, stay in shelter now." "Nonsense!" he cried; "it does me good, and it's grandly exciting to fight the storm like this. How are you, little one? Ah, don't touch me, I'm wet."