"She handles nicely, doesn’t she?" I agreed. As a matter of fact, I felt like congratulating myself; I won’t deny that I had a feeling of pride, as well as a prayer of thankfulness for our universal good luck. Things had gone without a hitch, at a time when a hitch might easily have called for payment in human life. So here we were, with sixty people landed suddenly on our decks; with whole topsails set, and a gale of wind turned loose upon us. I’d been obliged to abandon the upper sails, while we were saving the first three boatloads; they had slat themselves to shreds before we could find time to furl them. The chief thing now was to get the upper topsails in. I made up my mind that we would shorten sail with our own crew. The crowd from the steamer were completely fagged out; they had been fighting fire and the Atlantic for twenty-four hours. I told them to go below, in the after cabin or the forward house, anywhere, have a smoke, and rest wherever they could find a chance to lie down; and instructed my steward to pass round a supply of dry tobacco. When they had faded away and the decks were cleared for action, Captain Potter approached me again. "I hardly dare ask about provisions" he began "I’m sorry to tell you that we brought very little. The fire cleaned out our galley and store-rooms first of all, and we were barely able to save a meal or two of biscuits and canned grub" I thought a minute, making a rough estimate. "We can furnish provisions to go with the water, Captain" I told him. "What!—without allowance?" he cried. "Without allowance" said I "I never liked the idea of putting people on an allowance; it’s too much like starving yourself by degrees. I can guarantee you provisions to last us for a month or six weeks, three good meals a day; and we can’t in common fortune be out that long. The best of provisions, I think you’ll find" "How does it happen, sir?" he demanded. "It doesn’t happen. We’re always prepared for just such an emergency. More than once I’ve met a ship short of provisions, and furnished her with a boatload or two. You can’t anticipate what is liable to happen; but a lazaret full of beef and flour and potatoes fills in almost anywhere" He shook his head in amazement. "I’ve often heard it said that American ships were remarkably well-found" he observed "But I shouldn’t have believed a yarn like this from my best friend. Let’s see, we’ve brought you three times your ordinary ship’s company; and you have provisions and water for all hands to last longer than twice your usual run to New York. Are you positive, sir?" "Positive. Give yourself no further worry on that score"