160 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

During the greater portion of this time, it was abso-
lutely necessary for Miss Dunham to remain in the cabin,
owing to the heavy sea running, which rendered it a mat-
ter of great difficulty to make one’s way across the decks.

Ben visited her often, but did not stay below many
moments at a time.

She understood full well how concerned he was regard-
ing the repairs, and insisted that he should not give her
a thought until matters were in better shape.

“J shall get along very well,’ she said cheerily, “and
my loneliness is no harder to bear than your anxiety.
Do not think it is necessary to come here every few
moments.”

“Tt is almost brutal to leave you alone in the midst of

)

these nerve-racking noises,’ Ben replied, as the timbers
gave forth an unusually loud protest against the blows of
the waves. ‘“ The moment it is safe to venture on deck
I will attend to it that you are in a position to see what
is going on.”

’

«Don’t pay any attention to me,” she repeated, bravely,
and this putting aside of her own troubles in order to
ease his mind caused Ben to reproach himself more
severely than before at leaving her alone so long.

Twenty-four hours later the young girl was snugly
ensconced in a sea-chair to leeward of the house on the
quarter-deck, and there she remained the greater portion
of the hours of daylight until the anchors were down
once more.

It was on the second day after this that the brig