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

"Did I know him ? well I did ; he and I were shipmates on the Neptune when she sailed from York to Liverpool—now five years back . You see the Neptune had four hundred barrels of oil aboard , and when we were crossin' the Grand Banks she struck a nor ' easter , aud in turn a stroke of lig htning struck her , and running down the foremast came ri ght into the fok-sail , and straig htened two poor fellers besides stnnnin ' all hands . Before the flash had got out of our eyesthe word was passed along that the oil was ou

, fire . The boats were lowered aud the feller we just lost was swamped with the first boat . But he clung to the boat fall and saved hisself . He left the ship in the third boat , and that was the boat I was in until we were picked up . I knew him as soon as I saw him como aboard this morniu ' . "

" He'll never come aboard another vessel , Peter , " said Tom . " He ' s let go bis anchor in deep water , and nothhi' short of the last jiijiin' of all hands will bring him on deck . Maybe be as aisy as such a sea will let him . Rum ' s what did it -, had he come aboard a sober man he'd have lived to laugh at many a storm like this . Peter , I ' m afraid it ' s a voyage to the Ould Boy we ' re goin' any way . Most of Tom ' s remarks were lost in the silence of the forecastle . The menwearied

, by the labour of getting under way , had sunk into a sound sleep . Peter was asleep before Tom had fairly commenced . He knew Tom to be one of those superstitious sailors , who , though not lacking in courage in times of danger , were constantly dreading unseen evils .

Along towards morning the wind lulled and the sea became more pacified . Although the sun only showed itself at intervals though the stormy clouds , the atmosphere was a little softer than the proceeding day . The weather continued in this way , cloudy and disagreeable , for three clays without much change . From this time the air grew warmer , and ou the morning of the fourth day the sun rose iu dazzling splendourcausing the water to sparkle as though studded

, with myriads of diamonds . Small flying fish sported in the sunlight , and the numerous sea birds that hovered around the vessel added attractiveness to the scene . The large fields of beautiful gulf-weed , and everything in the surroundings indicated that the vessel was in the Gulf stream . The crew was called up ; the brooms got out ; draw buckets were passed along ; and the decks , by the help of strong muscles and stubb brooms , were soon free from the remains of the snow and ice .

A man aboard a vessel who cannot successfully handle a draw bucket is held in disgust by his more handy shipmates . The draw buckets with which the water is drawn at sea are made of sail cloth , about ten inches across the top and fifteen inches in length , and resemble a farmer ' s feed-bag . It requires a great deal of dexterity to fill one of these buckets from the sea with the vessel before the wind . During the washing clown decks Tom and Peter were drawing water near the main riggings . They had been engaged in that way but short time when Tom burst out into

several hearty laughs . " Tom , you are a queer cese ; what ails you ? " inquired Peter . " O , Peter , didn't you see Jack Wright whin , the mate sint him after the draw bucket ?" asked Tom .

" 'T was not my luck , " was Peter ' s rejfly . " Well you ought to , so you had . It mysilf most died with the laughing I had . The mate smt him for the draw bucket , aud what do you suppose he got . " I give it up , " rejdied Peter . " Well he didn ' t then , but up and brought the cook ' s water pail . Why , Peter , a boy fresh from the lakes and bogs of the ould country would have knowed better , sayin ' nothin' of a boy who ' s had a sniff of the salt sea" said Tomprovoked to think there was

, , any one in the world so stupid as not to know what a draw bucket was . "And what did tbe mate say to him , Tommy ?" " Say ? he sid nothin , ' but he looked as thqugh he could see right through him an ' then he ups with a rope ' s end . At that Wright runs towards me , and I handed him a bucket . But wasn ' t I hoppin' mad , though , whin the mate asked how long had he been l « sea , and he with the cheek of a shark stud , ' Off an' on for three vears . ' "