This could, however, only now be looked upon as lost; for the seawater must have spoilt everything eatable.
However, as the crew had gone through a good deal of hardship, the skipper did not attempt to ration them down to any smaller allowance on this our first evening on Herschel Island; and so, when a fire was built up, and some hot coffee brewed by Jorrocks, who usurped Pat Doolan's functions on this occasion, the Irishman being still too weak from his efforts to rescue poor Harmer to be of much use yet, we all had a hearty meal, feeling much the better thereby.
After this, the skipper told the men to lie down round the fire, which we found very grateful when the sun had set, besides its enabling us to dry our wet clothes; but the crew were warned that they would have to rouse up about midnight, when Captain Billings expected the tide would have gone down sufficiently to enable us to get the long-boat out of danger, and turn her over on the beach beyond high-water mark.
I confess that I went off to sleep at once; and neither the shaking of Jorrocks, nor the noise the men made in righting the long-boat, served to wake me up till it was broad daylight next morning, when I opened my eyes to find the sun shining down on a calm sea that hardly made a ripple on the beach, with the long-boat upright in her proper position, alongside the jolly-boat, and high and dry ashore.
There was a delicious smell of something cooking in one of Pat Doolan's galley pots, hung gipsy fashion over a roaring fire, and superintended by the Irishman, now himself again.

A large tent had also been rigged up by the aid of the boat sails and tarpaulins, making the place have the appearance of a cosy encampment, and offering a pleasant change to the desolate look it had worn the previous afternoon--when the sea was roaring in, hurling a deluge of foam on the beach, and we, wet and forlorn, were endeavouring to save the flotsam and jetsam of the long- boat's cargo.
"Sure an' you're a foine gintleman, taking it aisy," said Pat Doolan, when I went up to him.

"An' is it a pannikin o' coffee you'll be afther wanting, this watch ?" "I shouldn't refuse it if you offered it," said I, with a laugh.
"Be jabers, you're the bhoy for the coffee!" he replied cheerily.

"An' its meeself that's moighty proud to sarve you.

Sure an' I don't forgit how you thried, like a brave gossoon, to save that poor chap last night!" "Ah!" I ejaculated, feeling melancholy when he thus brought up Harmer's fate, which had passed out of my mind for the moment.