to chuckle with malicious glee while
the remorseless deep below seemed to give vent every now and again to a
hoarse roar of triumph!

"Signalman, hoist the cutter's recall," said Captain Farmer, presently;
after an age of waiting and looking out, as it appeared to me, during
which not a word was spoken by anyone. "There is no use searching any
more now. If he were afloat, they would have found him long since!"

"Alas! I'm afraid there's no hope," replied the commander. "He will
never be seen again, sir, I think, till the sea gives up its dead!"

"No, poor fellow. May he rest in peace."

Captain Farmer raised his cap reverently as he said this; the commander
doing the like and adding in his deep voice--

"Amen to that, sir."

The signalman had run up B flag for the cutter's return; but, as no
notice was apparently taken of the signal, the captain ordered one of
the bow guns to be fired.

Even then, however, the boat did not at once obey this imperative
command, rowing off, indeed, in the opposite direction still, as if
those in charge of her had noticed some object in the water, which we
could not observe from the ship.

A minute or two later, we could see the cutter come to a stop; when, by
the aid of the telescope, Larkyns, who was standing by the side of
Captain Farmer, said he was sure he saw them pick up something and that
they had now turned and were making for the ship.

All of us grew excited again on hearing this news, hoping for the best;
and as the cutter came closer, the captain, who could not restrain his
impatience, hailed her!

"Boat, ahoy!" he sang out. "Have you got him?"

Charley Gilham, who was sitting in the sternsheets, with his head bent
down, looked up on hearing the captain's call.

"No, sir," he hailed back. "Only his cap!"

The boat came alongside in silence, and the falls were hooked on; when,
it was hoisted up to the davits slowly, the men hauling in a sort of
spiritless way, as if saddened by the painful episode, while even the
boatswain's pipe seemed to whistle in a subdued tone in the minor key!

On reaching the deck, the lieutenant came up to the captain with poor
Popplethorne's cap, turning it over as he presented it to him to draw
his attention to it.

It was torn and bloody on one side.

"The topman was right, sir, you see," he said to Captain Farmer. "He
must have struck some part of the ship heavily when he fell from aloft
before going overboard."

"Yes,