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I30 DICK SANDS, THE BOY CAPTAIN. increase of speed ; the adroit management of the helm was the only chance of avoidîng thehazardous shocks, and even this repeatedly failed. To prevent hîs beîng washed overboard Dick lashed himseif to hîs place at the wheel by a rope round his waîst, and made Tom and Bat keep close at hand, ready to give him assistance, in case of emergency. Hercules and Actaeon, clinging to the bitt, kept watch at the bow. Mrs. Weldon and her party, at Dick*s spécial request, remained inside the stern cabin, although the lady, for her own part, would much rather hâve stayed on deck ; she had, however, yielded to the représentation that she would thus be exposing herself to unnecessary danger. The hatchways were hermetically closed, and it was to be hoped that they would withstand the heavy sea that was dashing over them ; only let one of them give way to the pressure, and the vcssel must inevitably fill and founder. It was a matter of congratulation that the stowage had been done very carefully, so that notwithstanding ail the lurch- ings of the ship, the cargo did not shift in the least. The heroic young commander had still further curtailed his periods of rest, and it was only at the urgent entreaty of Mrs. Weldon, who feared that he would exhaust himseif by his vigilance, that he was induced to lie down for a few hours' sieep on the night of the I3th. After Tom and Bat had been left alone at the wheel they were, somcwhat to their surprise, joined by Negoro, who vcry rarely came aft. He seemed inclined to enter into conversation, but found little encouragement to talk on the part cither of Tom or his son. Ail at once a violent roll of the ship thrcw him off his feet, and he would hâve gone overboard if he had not been savcd by falling against the binnacle. Old Tom was in a frantîc state of alarm lest the compass should be broken. He uttered a cry of consternation so loud that it roused Dick from the light slumber into which he had fallen in the cabin, and he rushed to the deck. By the time he had reached the stern, Negoro had not only regained his feet, but had managed successfully to conceal