man, though his sottish and sensual habits made him often incapable of preventing mischief and injustice, which he would not himself have committed. He immediately desired the revengeful wretch to be summoned on deck; and on his appearance, demanded an explanation of his motives for such wanton barbarity. Harvey started on looking at Frank, but it was in vain to attempt denying the charge, or offering any palliation; he could only urge in his defence, that he had meant to keep him there but for a short time, and designed to have called him down before his own watch on deck was terminated, but that he had forgotten to do so, and the poor lad had, in consequence, been obliged to remain till the captain found him. Edwards sternly reproved him for his unfeeling conduct, and told him to prepare, on coming into port, to leave the Pacific, and find himself a situation in another ship, as he could not think of keeping in his vessel a man so totally divested of all feelings of humanity;

and turning to Frank, he took him down below, where he gave him some warm tea for breakfast, and ordered him to lie down in bed till his benumbed limbs should recover their usual elasticity and warmth.

CHAPTER XX.

THE FIRST LAND.-AN UNEXPECTED
FRIEND.-HOME.

How welcome from the dizzy mast-
The watchful seaman's stand-
Sounds o'er the billow and the blast
The joyful cry of "Land,"

Which, veiled within a misty shroud,
Lifts o'er the waves its peak of cloud.

Ah! who but he, whose weary eye
Hath long been doomed to dwell
Upon the waste of sea and sky,
The raptured throb can tell,
The boundless burst of joy that fills
The heart that hails earth's distant hills.

At once upon the gaze they come,

With mingled smiles and tears;
With beauteous visions of our home,
And days of other years—
Reflected from the past that throw
Around their heads a sunset glow.

J. MALCOLM.

FRANK slept soundly till about mid-day,

when he was awakened by an unusual motion

of the ship, and the frequent trampling of the men upon deck; he rose and dressed himself, and hastening above, saw all hands employed in taking in sail; the wind had increased to a hurricane, and the Pacific was driving before it at a tremendous rate; the sky all around was dark, cloudy, and tempest-like; the vessels in sight were all scudding along under a very slight press of sail; the captain dreaded the approach of a gale, and he was making all ready for bad weather.

In addition to this gloomy prospect, he found, on consulting the log-book,* that the account had been so incorrectly kept by Harvey, that he could not readily tell the exact distance he was from shore, though he knew that he must now be very near the coast of England, and the wind was blowing him directly towards it. In this dilemma, he dreaded

* Log-book; a journal kept at sea of the daily progress and rate of sailing of the vessel.

the approach of night, lest, during the darkness, he might unawares drive upon some rock or headland, where the vessel would inevitably be lost; and his only resource was to endeavour to come close to a passing ship, and enquire of her his exact situation, which would enable him to run for the nearest port in case of a stress of weather compelling him to seek a refuge from its fury. The wind, in the mean time, was every moment growing more tempestuous, and the sea becoming gradually billowy and disturbed, till its giant waves, as they rolled towards the Pacific, seemed ready to burst upon her stern, and sink her in an instant to the bottom. Every inch of canvass was furled, except one stay-sail, which was necessary to render her obedient to the helm, and keep her head before the wind, as she lay almost motionless in the sea, whose snowy waves were every moment bursting across her. The noise of the storm, as it rushed through

M