To look for the souls of the drowned.

"'The No Man's Sea is a gaol of souls,
And its gate is a burning sun,
And deep beneath it a great bell tolls
For a death that never is done.

"'Alas! for any that comes anear,
That lies on its moveless breast;
The grumbling water shall be his bier,
And never a place of rest."'

"There are four of the verses. Well, I made a motion to stop the rowing,
and was mum for a minute. The men got nervous. They looked at the boat
in front of us, and then turned round, as though to see if the 'Dancing
Kate' was still in sight. I spoke, and they got more courage. I stood up
in the boat, but could see nothing in the dingey. I gave a sign to go
on, and soon we were alongside. In the bottom of the dingey lay a man,
apparently dead, wearing the clothes of a convict. One of the crew gave
a grunt of disgust, the others said nothing. I don't take to men often,
and to convicts precious seldom; but there was a look in this man's face
which the prison clothes couldn't demoralise--a damned pathetic look,
which seemed to say, 'Not guilty.'

"In a minute I was beside him, and found he wasn't dead. Brandy brought
him round a little; but he was a bit gone in the head, and muttered all
the way back to the ship. I had unbuttoned his shirt, and I saw on his
breast a little ivory portrait of a woman. I didn't let the crew see it;
for the fellow, even in his delirium, appeared to know I had exposed the
thing, and drew the linen close in his fingers, and for a long time held