Lost And Saved ; Or, Nellie Powers, The Missionary's Daughter.

LOST AND SAVED ; OR , NELLIE POWERS , THE MISSIONARY'S DAUGHTER .

BY 0 . H . LOOMIS . CHAPTEE XII . THE men on deck were soon at their respective duties , the excitement of the forepart of the evening having been almost forgotten in the mirth ancl yarns which

had followed . Tom still had the impression that some one had pushed him overboard , but as no one seemed to have seen the act , he thought possibly he might be mistaken . At any rate , he could not fasten the guilt on to any one , and he thought he AA'ould " lay to " ancl await events that might throw light on the subject , Tom was right in his impression that no one had seen him go over . But just at

the time he fell , Jacko , AA'ho was a great favourite with Tom , was seen ( in the rays of the lantern Avhich the cook was just bringing out of the galley ) by the man at the Avheel to jump from the rigging on to the third mate ' s head ancl to make lively work Avith his hair . Jacko , by his squeals as he sat on the mate's head , had also attracted the attention of the cook , as he came out of the galley , and when he heard that it was Tom AA'I IO Avas overboardhe remembered that he had seen EadshaAV standing behind Tom ,

, Avhen he was going in the dark to the gaUey . When these incidents Avere told to the captain , and he remembered the trouble Tom had with the third mate since the recovery of the money in Kio Janeiro , coupled with the threats that EadshaAV had made to get even with some folks aboard the vessel before he left her , he came to the conclusion that the third mate knew more about

Tom s going overboard than he chose to tell , ancl hinted as much to him a feAV days after , AA'hen he had a dispute Avith him as to Avho was captain of the vessel . From that time Eaclshaw did not associate much Avith the officers , ancl , when he AA'as in the cabin , was sulky , and was always threatening to make somebody sweat before long . When he AA'as on deck he AA'as much in the company of Crony , as Ave have before remarked , the Avorst man aboard the vessel .

One night , about a Aveek after the accident AA'hich had happened to Tom , when the vessel was flying along in a ten-knot breeze , the cry of " Eire ! " was heard from f orAvard , ancl the cook came running aft saying that the provision room near the galley was on fire . No one seemed to knoAV how the fire had originated , and the cook , in his confusion , did not seem to knoAV Avhether or not he had been in the provision room with a light during the clay or evening . Mighty efforts were made to stay the flames , which were well under way before discovered , and had now burst out and were rapidly creeping up the forerigging , fanned into a larger blaze by the Avind , Avhich rushed doAvn on them from off the foresail .

The captain , seeing that all efforts to subdue the fire were in vain , gave the order to tower away the boat . , "I ., ^ ird mate , Avith part of the creAV , and Crony , had been during the confusion nastd y constructing a raft out of some fenders and some loose boards that had been taken out of the hold a few clays before . When the order was given to lower the boat the rait was the sideancl the water cask itThe water cask

over , men were lowering a on . oerng safely loaded , the men lowered a barrel of biscuit , the salt junk cask , ancl a ° m ° ° ' Sails ' ancl - Uc ] l tilirl S s as came with " their reach . _ While the raft Avas being lowered and provisioned forward , the yaAvl boat was eing loAvered aft , ancl two barrels of biscuit , oars , compasses , ancl other necessities