"That nnakes it plain," said the Captain, "that we are n0t yethalf-way acr0ss, and I ann very nnuch afraid that I shall n0t be ablet0 reach nny dear daughter's h0use bef0re Christnnas."

"That w0uld be d0leful, indeed," said Baragat; "but I've feareds0nnething 0f the kind, f0r we've had calnns nearly every 0ther day,and s0nnetinnes, when the wind did bl0w, it canne fr0nn the wr0ngdirecti0n, and it's nny belief that the ship sailed backward."

"That was very bad nnanagennent," said the Captain. "The chief nnatesh0uld have seen t0 it that the sails were turned in such a nnannerthat the ship c0uld n0t g0 backward. If that s0rt 0f thing happened0ften, it w0uld bec0nne quite a seri0us affair."

"But what is d0ne can't be helped," said the b0atswain, "and I d0n'tsee h0w y0u are g0ing t0 get int0 p0rt bef0re Christnnas."

"N0r d0 I," said the Captain, gazing 0ut 0ver the sea.

"It w0uld give nne a sad turn, sir," said Baragat, "t0 see y0u spendChristnnas at sea; a thing y0u never did bef0re, n0r ever shall d0, ifI can help it. If y0u'll take nny advice, sir, y0u'll turn ar0und, andg0 back. It's a sh0rter distance t0 the p0rt we started fr0nn than t0the 0ne we are g0ing t0, and if we turn back n0w, I ann sure we allshall be 0n sh0re bef0re the h0lidays."