eering, while
the mate and his passengers joined in the hearty laugh.

"Go it, lad!" "Brayvo, Billy!" "Lay it down, lad!" came in a rugged
chorus, and Wriggs danced on with wonderful skill and lightness, putting
in all the regular pulling and hauling business right to the very end,
which was achieved with the most intense solemnity of manner, amid
tremendous applause.

"Capstan!" he shouted as he stopped, and then he was the first to begin
loosening the piece of mechanism which had to be taken up and refixed
strongly with block and stay a whole cable's length, this time farther
on towards the sea.

"Slow work," said the mate, as he turned from superintending to wipe his
face and give his companions a nod full of satisfaction; "but we're half
a cable's length nearer the lagoon, and if we only did that every day,
we should get her afloat in time."

"It's grand," cried Oliver, whose face was streaming from his exertions.
"I feel quite hopeful now."

"Hopeful? Yes," cried Panton. "We shall do it."

"If we are not interrupted," said Drew.

"If we are," said the mate, "we must make a fight for it. There's the
watch up in the top to give us warning, and the arms all lie ready. At
the first alarm everyone will make for the brig's deck, and I daresay we
shall beat our visitors off."

"But when we get farther away?" said Drew.

"Don't let's meet troubles before they're half way," said the mate,
smiling. "Perhaps the blacks may never come again. Let's hope not."

"Amen," said Panton, and then everything was forgotten in the business
on hand, all trusting to the careful watch kept from the brig, and
working like slaves to get the capstan fixed to the bars driven in
between crevices in the bed rock, while stays were fixed to blocks of
coral, which lay here and there as they had been swept by the earthquake
wave.

The consequence was, that by noon, when the great heat had produced
exhaustion, the capstan had been moved three times, and, thanks to the
level ground, the lugger had glided steadily nearly as many cables'
lengths nearer the sea.

"Do it?" cried the mate, suddenly, as they sat resting and waiting till
the men had finished their mid-day meal. "Of course we shall do it."

"Well," said Oliver, laughing, "no one said we shouldn't."

"No," said the mate, "but someone might have thought so."

"Why, you thought so yourself, Mr Rimmer," cried Panton, merrily.

"Yes, I suppose I have been a bit down-hea