ying
hard to free herself now?"

As the portion of the floating mast that was inboard now rose out of the
water as far as the main-top, a party of the men with Moggridge
scrambled on to it and began cutting away the various cross ropes,
halliards, clew-lines, and so on, that held it to the fore and mizzen
spars. The yards had now floated too, although the upper portion of the
mainmast bearing their weight, as it slewed over, pressed on the
starboard bulwarks, remaining in that position from the calmness of the
sea, which had not motion enough to drift it away.

"If only a slight breeze would spring up now, so as to rouse a little
more swell, we'd float clear of this wreck," observed Mr Marline.
"Half the weight of the mast still tends to keep the ship down to
leeward."

"Ah, we don't want it rough yet," said the captain. "The foremast is
the main thing to get rid of now; and, unless the sea keeps still, we'll
never manage to cut that away, for it is still more under water than the
mainmast was."

"I forgot that," replied the mate; and then, both went along the
bulwarks forwards to where Jackson was beginning operations at the other
spar.

If the mainmast had proved stubborn and unyielding, this was twenty
times more so, the great difficulty being that there was no vantage-
ground to be had, in the shape of a firm footing, from whence to ply the
axe.

"It's no use, sir," said Jackson, when the captain had come abreast of
the spot where he was standing, in the fore-rigging, trying vainly to
reach the mast below. "I can't even touch the timber, much less make a
blow at it!"

"Well, all that can be done," replied Captain Miles, "is to lighten it
as much as possible. Cut away what rigging you are able to lay hands
on, and if the sea gets up in the night it may work free."

"All right, sir," said Jackson; so, he and the gang with him went to
work with a will, slashing here and there at the cordage connecting the
mast with the port side of the ship.

Meanwhile, Jake had been very busy, proving himself quite as useful as
the rest.

Swimming like a fish he had gone into the sea near the wreck of the
mainmast; and, with that long knife of his, which had done so much
damage to the sharks, he began cutting away the fastenings of the
topgallant-yard, although leaving the lee-braces intact, so that the
spar could be hauled in by and by.

Moggridge was on the mast, too, and, with his gang of men, was operating
on