Accordingly, without wasting further time, they got as much sail up as the little boat could carry in the stiff breeze, and ran nearly due east before the steady westerly wind.

All day long they ran across the misty ocean, the little boat behaving splendidly, without sighting any living thing, till, at last, the night closed in again.

There was, fortunately, a bag of biscuits in the boat, and a breaker of water; also there was, unfortunately, a breaker of rum, from which the two sailors, Bill and Johnnie, were already taking quite as much as was good for them.

Consequently, though they were cold and wet with the spray, they had not to face the added horrors of starvation and thirst.

At sundown, they shortened sail considerably, only leaving enough canvas up to keep the boat ahead of the sea.
Somehow the long night wore away.