“Yes,” returned our hero; “I saw them strike her. We shall gain some hours, and in that time get up our jury-masts; this nor’-wester is only a squall after the deluge of rain. I was down with our poor passengers, who were terribly frightened by the firing; in truth, they have had a poor time of it since we started.” “You may say that, William,” said the Captain; “it is to be hoped we have had the worst of it. I have seen land these last ten minutes away there to the south-west—Majorca or Ivica, no doubt.” William Thornton looked in that direction, above the storm-tossed billows, and could distinctly discover the high land stretching away to the southward. “It cannot be the mainland,” he observed, promptly, “for I can make out its termination. No doubt it is Ivica, the smallest of the islands.” “Well, the sooner we get to work the better. You see our friend the privateer still keeps on the same tack, with reduced canvas.” Going steadily before the gale, the Babet, excepting an occasional roll, remained pretty steady, and there were tokens of the gale lulling; so all hands turned to, to get their jury-masts and yards up. The corvette was well supplied with everything in the shape of rigging and sails, an abundance of rope, and some fine spars. They worked unceasingly, speedily rigged a pair of spars, whilst the wind and the sea were rapidly falling. There was not a cloud to be seen—the sun shining as bright and glorious as in the early autumn, though the air was exceedingly keen. Before sunset, Ivica was plainly to be seen, and, in the distance, the other islands; and so well and energetically did the crew work, that a main and mizen jury-mast were stepped and wedged, and before dark they could set sufficient canvas to permit them to alter their course, and draw off from the land, towards which they had been previously running. During the evening, both the gale and the sea gradually fell; the night was fine and bright, and the air less cold. Before twelve on the following day, the Babet looked like a new-rigged craft, with reduced spars; and by working all day, and the weather continuing fine, she could set as much sail as a craft half her size; but, being a remarkably fast sailer, she went through the water at a very fair speed, and so satisfied became her commander with her rig, that he resolved to continue his voyage to England under it, giving up his previous intention of putting in to Gibraltar to refit. Off the Cap de Gatt they had a calm of two days, with the weather warm, so that the females could enjoy air, and a little exercise. They had quite recovered their sea-sickness, and little Mabel, in anticipating her future meeting with her mother in England, was rapidly increasing in spirits.