Mrs. Dr. Kerr, complaining of the tediousness of the voyage, and the
dullness of her own circle, invited Ishmael and his party to spend
the evening and play whist in the ladies' cabin--forbidden ground to
all gentlemen who had no ladies with them, unless indeed they should
happen, as in this case, to be invited.

All the gentlemen of our party availed themselves of this privilege,
and the evening passed more pleasantly than any other evening since
they had been at sea.

The fog lasted for three days, during which, as the wind was fair
and the sea calm, the passengers, well wrapped up, enjoyed the
promenade of the deck during the day, and the social meetings in the
dining saloon, or the whist parties in the ladies' cabin during the
evening.

And lulled by this deceitful calm, they were happy in the thought
that the voyage was nearly half over, and in the anticipation of a
prosperous passage over the remaining distance, and a safe arrival
in port.

On the evening of the third day of the fog, however, a vague and
nameless dread prevailed among the passengers. No one could have
told whence this dread arose, or whither it pointed. Those well
acquainted with the locality knew that the steamer was upon the
Banks of Newfoundland, and that those Banks were considered rather
unsafe in a fog.

Some others, who were in the secret, also knew that the captain had