y hold on me and pull me back and
send me on again."

"And did you keep on like that?"

"Oh, no; I got up sometimes and tried to walk, and other times I went
along sittin'."

"But didn't you try to come back?"

"Try, sir? What was the good? Why, the water did just what it liked
with me, and wouldn't even let me try to swim. Do you think I could ha'
got back up that waterfall? Bless your 'art, sir, seems to me as if you
might as well try to get up to the moon."

"Never mind that," said Oliver, excitedly; "tell us about what
followed," and then he turned his head sharply, for Smith was rubbing
his hands down his legs and chuckling softly now in his intense delight
to see his messmate back safe and sound.

"Told you so--I told you so," he muttered.

"Course I will, sir," said Wriggs. "Well, you see the water kept
carrying me along in the dark, and as fast as I managed to get up it
downed me again and began to stuffycate me, only I wouldn't have that,
and got up again and tried to stand. But it warn't no use, the bottom
was too slithery, and down I goes again in the darkness, thinking it was
all over with me, but I gets the better of it again, and on I goes
sailing along, sometimes up and sometimes down, and a-swallering enough
water to last me for a week."

"Yes, go on," cried Oliver.

"Right, sir, I'm a-goin' on," said Wriggs. "Where was I?"

"A-swallerin' the water, Billy," said Smith, interposing a word or two.

"So I was, Tommy, lots of it. I kep' on swallerin' that water till I
didn't swaller no more 'cause there warn't no room. So, of course, I
left off, and went bobbin' up and bobbin' down, sometimes goin' head
fust and sometimes legs fust. Oh, it was at a rate! And it was as dark
as pitch, and you couldn't get out this side nor t'other side neither."

"Well, go on," said Mr Rimmer, impatiently.

"Yes, sir; and there I goes, getting in a puff o' wind now and then when
I has a charnsh, and the water a-rooshin' me along and the bottom all
slithery, and sometimes I was heads up and sometimes toes, and the water
kep' a carryin' of me along so as I couldn't stand straight nor sit down
nor kneel nor nothing. But on I keeps again, on and on and on, and
sometimes I was down and--"

"I say," said Panton, "wasn't it a very long way?"

"Yes, sir, a mortal long ways, and sometimes the water got me down when
I tried to swim and sometimes--"

"Yes, yes, yes," cried Oliver, for the mate was roaring