He thereupon described to Doctor Nettleby what the three of us had seen
in the cabin; when that gentleman was as much shocked as we were.

"Can I do anything, Jellaby?" he asked. "Are you sure they were all
lifeless?"

"As dead as herrings, doctor."

"Then there would be no use in my going down to see the poor creatures?"

"My dear sir, you couldn't do them an ounce of good, for they're long
past the reach of all human aid!" replied the lieutenant, while he gave
a helping hand to Corporal Macan to lift up the still unconscious
Spaniard whom we had rescued, the sole survivor, so far as we knew, of
all those who had perhaps started gaily enough on their disastrous
voyage in the now dismantled and water-logged barque. "Besides, my dear
doctor, we haven't got the time. If we don't clear out of this pretty
sharp, we'll all go below, I'm afraid! Steady there, Bates, with that
grapnel rope! You'll have the boat coming broadside on against the
wreck, if you don't take care and she'll be stove in. Be smart now and
rig-out that clewline there to the brace-block at the end of the
yardarm. It will serve to lower down this poor beggar into the boat,
which you must all fend off. Let her just come under the spar
handsomely, without touching the side."

These directions being carefully adhered to, we contrived, by using
great caution, though not without considerable risk, to lower down the
almost lifeless man into the cutter; after which we descended ourselves,
Mr Jellaby being the last to leave the hapless hulk, letting go the
grapnel as he dropped into the sternsheets.

The doctor and I caught him as he joined us, everyone else having enough
to do to keep the boat steady with the oars; while Bates, of course, was
busy with the tiller, which he kept amidships.

As the boat drifted past the low rail of the vessel, now almost level
with the water, which partly sheltered us from the full force of the
wind and waves, I had the opportunity, when we glided under the stern,
to read her name emblazoned thereon in large gilt letters.

It was _La Bella Catarina_.

"Give way, men!" cried the lieutenant, on our getting out into the open
sea the next moment beyond the hull of the derelict, the coxswain
heading the cutter directly for our ship, which had run down to leeward
of the wreck so that we could fetch her more easily. "Pull all you can,
my lads. Our lives depend on it!"

We were about half-way towards the _Candahar_,