other
passenger, an American skipper named Burr, who was going to Apia to take
command of a vessel belonging to the same firm as the _Tucopia_. He was
a silent, good-looking man of about sixty, and possessed of much caustic
humour and a remarkable fund of smoking-room stories, which, on rare
occasions, he would relate in an inimitable, drawling manner, as if he
was tired. The chief mate was a deeply but not obtrusively religious
Scotsman; the second officer, Allen, was a young man of thirty, an
excellent seaman, but rough to the verge of brutality with the crew.
Bruce, on the other hand, was too easy-going and patient.

"I never want to raise my hand against a man," he said one day, as a
protest, when Allen gave one of the crew an unmerciful cuff which sent
him down as if he had been shot.

"Neither do I," replied Allen, "I prefer raising my foot. But it's
habit, Mr. Bruce, only habit."

For five days the barque ran steadily on an E.N.E. course, then on the
sixth day the wind hauled, and by sunset it was blowing hard from the
eastward with a fast-gathering sea. By two in the morning Robertson and
his officers knew that they were in for a three-days' easterly gale; a
few hours later it was decided to heave-to, as the sea had become
dangerous, and the little vessel was straining badly. Just after this
had been done, the gale set in with redoubled fury, and when Mrs. Lacy
came on deck shortly before breakfast, she shuddered at the wild
spectacle. Coming to the break of the poop, she clasped the iron rail
with both hands, and gazed fearfully about her.

"You had better go below, ma'am," said the second mate, who was standing
near, talking to Otway, "there's some nasty, lumpy seas."

Then he gave a yell.

"Look out there!"

Springing to Mrs. Lacy's side, he clasped his left arm around her waist,
and held on tightly to the iron rail with his right, just as a vast
mountain of water took the barque amidships, fell on her deck with
terrific force, and fairly buried her from the topgallant foc'scle to
the level of the poop. In less than half a minute the galley, for'ard
deck-house, long-boat, which was lying on the main hatch, and the port
bulwarks had vanished, together with three poor seamen who were asleep
in the deck-house. The fearful crash brought the captain flying on deck.
One glance showed him that there was no chance of saving the men--to
attempt to lower a boat in such a sea was utterly impossible, and would
b