issing at the muster.
Bowles presented himself with his left arm shattered by a pistol bullet;
Brook was suffering from a severe scalp-wound; and every one of the
others had a wound or contusion of some sort, which, whilst it did not
incapacitate them for work, was a voucher that they had not shrunk from
taking their part manfully in the fight.

This first hasty examination over, an anxious search was instituted for
the missing. The first man found was Dickinson, dead, his body covered
with wounds, and a bullet-hole in the centre of his forehead. Near him
lay Dale, bleeding and insensible, shot through the body; and a little
further on Bob was found, also insensible, with a cutlass gash across
the forehead. Then Dick Sullivan was found dead, with his skull cloven
to the eyes; and near him, also dead, one of the seamen of the
_Galatea_. And lastly, at some distance from the others, Ned Masters,
with another seaman from the _Galatea_, and two of the escaped
prisoners, were found all close together, severely wounded, and
surrounded by a perfect heap of dead and wounded pirates. These four,
it seemed, had somehow become separated from the rest of their party,
and had been surrounded by a band of pirates. This made a list of three
killed and six severely wounded.

The latter were gently raised in the arms of their less injured comrades
and taken with all speed on board the schooner, where they were turned
over for the present to the care of the ladies; while those who were
still able to work resumed operations underneath the ship's bottom.

Another quarter of an hour's hard work, and then Lance's voice was heard
ordering one hand to jump on board the schooner and look out for a line.

"All right!" exclaimed Bob's voice from the deck; "heave it up here, Mr
Evelin."

"What! you there, Robert? Glad to hear it, my fine fellow. Just go
forward; look out for the line, and, when you have it, haul taut and
make fast securely."

"All right," answered Bob with his head over the bows; "heave!"

The line, a very slender one, was thrown up, and Bob, gathering in the
slack, and noticing that it led from somewhere ahead of the schooner,
bowsed it well taut and securely belayed it. He knew at once what it
was.

"Hurrah!" he shouted joyously. "That means that we are nearly ready for
launching."

Bob's unexpected reappearance, it may be explained, was due to the fact
that he had been merely stunned, and had speedily recov