OCTOBER 30.—Once again I talked to M. Letourneur about our situation, and endeavored to animate¹ him with the hope that we should not be detained for long in our present predicament; but he could not be brought to take a very sanguine² view of our prospects³.  
"But surely," I protested, "it will not be difficult to throw overboard a few hundred bales of cotton; two or three days at most will suffice for that."
 
"Likely enough," he replied, "when the business is once begun; but you must remember, Mr. Kazallon, that the very heart of the cargo⁴ is still smoldering⁵, and that it will still be several days before anyone will be able to venture into the hold. Then the leak, too, that has to be caulked⁶; and, unless it is stopped up very effectually, we shall only be doomed⁷ most certainly to perish at sea. Don't then, be deceiving yourself; it must be three weeks at least before you can expect to put out to sea. I can only hope meanwhile that the weather will continue propitious⁸; it wouldn't take many storms to knock the Chancellor⁹, shattered as she is, completely into pieces."
 
Here, then, was the suggestion of a new danger to which we were to be exposed; the fire might be extinguished, the water might be got rid of by the pumps, but, after all, we must be at the mercy of the wind and waves; and, although the rocky island might afford a temporary refuge from the tempest, what was to become of passengers and crew if the vessel¹⁰ should be reduced to a total wreck¹¹? I made no remonstrance¹², however, to this view of our case, but merely asked M. Letourneur if he had confidence in Robert Curtis?
 
"Perfect confidence," he answered; "and I acknowledge it most gratefully, as a providential circumstance, that Captain Huntly had given him the command in time. Whatever man can do I know that Curtis will not leave undone¹³ to extricate¹⁴ us from our dilemma¹⁵."
 
Prompted by this conversation with M. Letourneur I took the first opportunity of trying to ascertain¹⁶ from Curtis himself how long he reckoned we should be obliged to remain upon the reef; but he merely replied, that it must depend upon circumstances, and that he hoped the weather would continue favorable. Fortunately the barometer¹⁷ is rising steadily¹⁸, and there is every sign of a prolonged calm.
 
Meantime Curtis is taking active measures for totally extinguishing the fire. He is at no great pains to spare the cargo, and as the bales that lie just above the level of the water are still a-light he has resorted to the expedient¹⁹ of thoroughly²⁰ saturating²¹ the upper layers of the cotton, in order that the combustion²² may be stifled²³ between the moisture descending

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