ed Mr Jellaby; and, by an adroit turn of the tiller,
the boat's nose shoved in under her lee to port into the slack water
made by her hull. "Be ready with that grapnel there forrud!"

There was no necessity, however, for using this, for Commander Nesbitt
had stationed a man in the chains to watch for us; and, immediately we
rounded-in under the counter the seaman payed out a long grass rope
attached to a buoy, which, as it floated past the bowman was easily able
to pick up with his boathook and make fast beneath the thwarts of the
cutter forwards.

We were, by this means, hauled up alongside until we were right below
the quarter, with the side of our noble vessel towering above us like a
great wall, and swinging over our heads; the creaking boat falls,
oscillating backwards and forwards as if they were a couple of
pendulums, rendering it very difficult to hook on the cutter, especially
as she was lifted up one moment by a wave passing under the keel to the
main deck ports, and lowered the next down to the ship's bilge.

But, at last, the task was accomplished, and then at the pipe of the
boatswain, which we could now hear more clearly than before, the cutter,
with all her crew and passengers still in her, was run up to the davits
and secured, the ship at once filling and bearing away on her course
again, now close-hauled on the starboard tack.

Captain Farmer was standing on the poop talking with the commander when
we gained the deck; and, as Mr Jellaby at once went up to them to make
his report, while Dr Nettleby was busying himself with superintending
the removal of the man we had rescued, who had not yet regained
consciousness, down to the sick bay, a couple of other marines being
called to help the corporal, I thought I might as well go below also and
shift my uniform, which was pretty nearly soaked through, making me feel
very cold and uncomfortable.

This was a day of surprises.

For, no sooner had I got down to my chest in the steerage and begun to
peel off my wet clothes, than Ned Anstruther came up to me.

I thought at first he was going to congratulate me on having got off
from the wreck before she foundered, all on board, having, of course,
seen her sink.

But, greatly to my astonishment, my watch-mate raised a rope's-end which
he held in his outstretched hand and proceeded to lay it across my
shoulders; the beggar giving me several sharp cuts with the "colt" ere I
realised what he was up to.

"Th