"Never. The men on board who drank most freely are the ones who have died, and not a temperate sailor has yet had the fever."

66 Ah, I think I shall never wish to take another drop, and I solemnly promise you that I will not, unless it is prescribed by a physician for a medicine. Give me water, water, now, for

I am mad with thirst."

After giving him the water, Frank was summoned upon deck, and was unable to return for several hours; when he did so he found Brandon raving with the delirium of fever. He called upon his mother in the most piteous accents, begging her not to forsake him.

Frank tried to soothe him, used the cold water frequently, and gave him such medicines as the ship's medicine-chest afforded. Although exhausted by fatigue, he sat by him for several hours.

The Bible, the gift of his mother, he read with deep interest. He knew not how soon his own turn might come to be laid low, and he prayed earnestly for himself and his companion.

Towards morning Joseph slept, and Frank snatched a short nap. He was aroused from it to relieve the watch upon deck.

So sleepy that he could hardly stand, he staggered upon deck, and there met the captain, who was just able to come out of the cabin.

Seeing Frank thus staggering along, with his face flushed and his eyes red and swollen, he laid his hand roughly upon his shoulder, and said, "What! drunk at this time of the morning, boy!-you must have the cat for this."

66

66

Sir, you are mistaken," said Frank, with great mildness and self-possession, “I am very weary and sleepy from having taken care of poor Brandon all night. I was afraid that he might not live till morning. I never take spirits, Sir."

"Excuse me, my good fellow; I see I was entirely mistaken," said the captain. "How much you gain by never getting into a passion. There is nothing convinces one so soon as this mild way of speaking. It makes me think of my good old mother. I wish I was more like the old lady. How sorry she would have been to hear me rip out an oath as I do now and then. Odd zooks, there is a storm brewing. There, look over the water, there comes a real hurridown with the sails!"

cane,

The few sailors on deck flew into the rigging, but before they could succeed in taking in the

sails, the gale came rushing on so furiously that the vessel reeled, and seemed fighting for existence, like a thing of life."

66

Another blast, still more furious;

she was

thrown completely upon one side, and the tattered sails floated upon the water.

Two men went overboard and were lost; the remainder clung to the sides, spars, and rigging. Orders were given to cut away the masts. In consequence of the small number of the crew remaining, this was'a task of great difficulty; it was, however, accomplished, and the vessel righted. The storm raged fiercely for several hours; the straining that the ship had undergone loosened the timbers, so that there was water in the hold, and the pumps were occasionally used.

As soon as Frank could make his way to the place where he had left Joseph, he went to see what had become of him. To Frank's utter astonishment, there he still lay in his hammock.

Whether he had clung to it the whole time or not could not be ascertained; there he was, deathly pale, and so weak as to be unable to

move.

66

Frank," said he, in a feeble voice, “Is it you? I believe I am dying. I am not fit to die. What

a bad son and brother I have been. What shall

I do ? "

"Ask God's forgiveness," said Frank, deeply moved.

"I have," was the reply.

After a few moments' pause, Joseph inquired, "How near home are we, Frank ? ”

"We are quite distant; you know we had not made very rapid progress after we left Gibraltar, when we carried away our masts

"Carried away our masts!" interrupted Jo"When? how?"

seph.

Frank commenced telling the sad tale, but so extreme was the weakness of Joseph that he fell asleep during the recital.

He awoke after some hours, refreshed and evidently better; the crisis was past, and recovery probable. Great was his astonishment on learning the full extent of the catastrophe ; and it was difficult to convince him that the ship was not even then in immediate danger of being engulfed in the ocean.

The danger, though not immediate, was imminent. There was the ship that came so gallantly out of port, every sail proudly swelling to the breeze, bearing high aloft the stars and stripes

so dear to every American,—there she lay,maimed, deformed, floating at the mercy of every wave; her hardy crew lessened by death; the remainder sick, disheartened, almost in despair; their only hope that some vessel might heave in sight and take them from the wreck.

In consequence of the small number of serviceable hands on board, it was some time before they succeeded in raising a jury-mast; when this was accomplished, they spread their sails and steered for Fayal, one of the Azore Islands.

Brandon was now rapidly recovering. He had no friend but Frank; no one else troubled themselves about him, or rendered him the slightest attention. Gratitude, like one fresh flower in a desert, sprung up in the heart of Joseph Brandon; and its kindred flower, affection, must soon bloom in its neighbourhood. The selfishness of his nature had yielded, and he allowed himself to be more influenced by his young friend that he ever before had been by any human being.

Moreover, that Almighty Being whose wonders are upon the great deep, was now often present to his thoughts; for in his agony, with death staring him in the face, he had prayed.

During the long and tedious hours of loneli