of the water against the planking had ceased. Running thus
with the wind and swell there was no opposition, everything was with
her.

"Well, it's beef," said La Touche who had managed to open the Libby tin,
"it might be worse."

He dug out a piece with his knife and presented it to the girl with a
biscuit, then he helped Bompard and himself, then he scrambled forward,
leaving his beef and biscuit on the thwart, and reappeared with a
pannikin of water; it was handed to the lady first.

The food seemed to loose their tongues. It was as though the caste
difference had been broken by the act of eating together.

"I'd never thought to set tooth in a biscuit again when that smash came
last night," said Bompard addressing no one in particular.

"I wasn't thinking of biscuits," said La Touche, "I was bowled over in
the alley-way. You see, I was running, so it took me harder. What set me
running I don't know, my legs took care of themselves--I was just
leaning like this, see, on the look out and between two blinks there was
the hooker crossing our course or making that way. She'll clear us,
maybe, said I to myself, then the engines went full speed and I knew we
were done. Then I cleared aft, running, with no thought in my mind but
to get out of the way, dark, too, but I didn't barge against nothing,
till the smash came, and I went truck over keel in the alley-way."

"I was coming up the cabin stairs," said Cleo, "and something seemed to
knock me down. Then when I got on deck the light was put on and I saw a
great ship on the right hand side; she seemed sinking, but I read her
name, she was quite close. Then the light went out and someone caught me
and threw me--I don't know where, but it must have been into this boat."

"That was it," said Bompard, talking and eating at the same time, "us
two was in the boat."

"I thought it was Larsen," cut in La Touche. "Larsen helped me to get
the canvas off her, that was when the electric was on--what became of
Larsen?"

"Lord knows," said Bompard. "I scrambled into her just as the light was
shut off, then the chaps on deck chucked the lady in. Next thing we were
fending her off from the ship. I was shouting to the chaps on deck to
jump and we'd pick them up, we'd got the oars out then. I tell you I was
fuddled up for I'd got it in my head that the hooker was to port of us
though I'd seen her with my own eyes to starboard. I was thinking we'd
be taken down with the suck of her and