All day long the wind and sea raged, the seas breaking over the frail craft time and again. Not a mouthful of food was taken by any of the wretched party, as they did not dare to relax their hold on the boat to which they clung in the agony of despair. After hours of this horrible battling with the sea, Mrs. Gray feebly called out, “I can keep my hold no longer. My strength is almost gone. Good-bye my loved ones.” Captain Gray made an effort to reach her but he had been thrown from his feet to the bottom of the boat a moment before, and his leg was now held by a cask that had fallen on him, and before any one could reach Mrs. Gray, another sea had swept the unfortunate boat, and, tearing her from her feeble hold had carried her far beyond the reach of assistance. The storm continued but a short time longer to vent its fury on the ill-fated occupants of the life-boat, and shortly after Mrs. Gray was swept away it passed on to the north in search of new victims; but left behind it a long angry swell, the vast bosom of the deep, heaving and swelling. The grey and sullen skies, from which the rain now came in a soft shower, like a child denied some wished for toy, who cries and stamps its foot in rage, then finally sobs itself to sleep. All through the night the swells continued, but by morning had almost disappeared and the sun shown from a clear sky, with a genial warmth. By noon, the clothes of the drenched party were dry and they had set to work to find what was left to them, after the storm, of their supply of provisions. They found the barrel of beef all right, the sea biscuit a little water-soaked, and set to work spreading the biscuit in the sun to dry. The barrels had all been firmly lashed to the boat so they had stood the stress of the storm with but little damage, but, to their horror, they found when they came to examine the water cask that was also lashed to the boat, that during the storm its side had been stove in, letting almost all the water escape, so that now there remained but a few pints of the precious liquid in the bottom of the cask. It was realized by all that the danger they now had most to fear was lack of water. After having eaten heartily of the sea biscuit and beef, that to satisfy their immediate thirst, would take all the water remaining, but they contented themselves with a mere sip, just enough to moisten their parched lips. Carrie Gray, who had always been a delicate girl, was completely prostrated by the terror and hardships which she had undergone the past few days, and the loss of her mother preyed upon her mind so constantly, that by the evening of the third day she was raging with fever, and her father and sister denied themselves of their share of water, only dampening their lips and tongues with a few drops, so that Carrie might have all to relieve her sufferings as much as possible. CHAPTER V.