saw Harris moving something
which hung limply as he dragged it behind the canvas.

There was a wrathful conference as the two of them inspected the body of
the second mate, and as I watched I saw a lancelike tongue of fire,
outside the halo of light cast up from the lantern, followed by the
report of a pistol shot, which reached my ears after I had seen the
flash, for the wind checked the sound.

On top of this came a ripping, rending noise and the figure of a man
swung to the lower deck, carrying with him a portion of the storm-apron,
which volleyed in the wind for a minute and then was swept away as he let
go of it.

"There they go!" bellowed Harris. "Come on, cap'n, we'll git the hounds
now," and he led the captain down the bridge-ladder, Riggs still carrying
the lantern, which swung crazily as he dropped three steps at a time.

"W'ere the bloody 'ell be ye, Bucky?" called a voice which I knew to be
that of Long Jim. "W'ere be ye, I s'y! Ye missed 'im, ye fool. Missed 'im
dead. Jolly nice mess ye made of it! Were be ye, Bucky?"

"Shut yer bloomin' face," growled Buckrow. "What if I did miss him? It
was you that spoiled my aim, falling against the lashings as ye did, so
the blasted thing carried away with me and like to mashed my head. What,
with a fall like that. Dropped my gun, too, and it's broke or jammed."

"Likewise I couldn't 'elp it," said Long Jim. "Caught my blasted foot in
a lashin'--rotten sailcloth, that, Bucky. Make a stand of it 'ere as they
come on an' we'll git the two of 'em, Bucky."

"My gun is jammed, I say," said Buckrow. "Come on below for now and find
Thirkle and Red. We'll get another gun."

They were coming toward me all the time, and behind them were Captain
Riggs, still with his lantern, and Harris, uttering terrible threats of
vengeance.

"Throw that cussed light away," said Harris. "Throw it away, cap'n, or
they'll wing us sure. Cuss it all, cap'n, they'll blow yer head off if ye
pack that 'round with ye. Throw it, can't ye?"

"I can't see!" wailed Riggs, who seemed to be confused. "I can't see,
Harris."

"'Course ye can't see with it shinin' in yer eyes! Throw it away, will
ye? Here--now keep after me."

Harris wrenched the lantern from Riggs's hand and hurled it into the sea,
and, as the briny spume closed over it, it went out with a spiteful,
protesting hiss.

"'Ere's w'ere we bloody well get the two of 'em," said Long Jim, who was
within a dozen paces of me. "Give 'em t