e, the long "Who-o-o-o" sounded almost upon
them, and the captain sprang to the wheel. As he set a hand upon the
spokes and spun them round, a tall gray ship towered above them from the
side on which was the seine-boat, and seemed to hang poised a moment on
the crest of a sea before the final crash. Colin, who was leaning over
the rail watching the dipping of the net, was able to see everything.
The fisherman at the bow of the seine-boat jumped for the boom and
clasped it safely. Then, as the sailing vessel lurched upon them, the
boy noted that the seine-master and the fisherman at the stern of the
seine-boat leaped for the martingale shrouds and held them.

But that instant's delay, as the bark had seemed to be poised upon the
wave, had been enough for the _Shiner_. Having her canvas up, the
fraction of time gave her the chance to answer to her helm, and she spun
round like a teetotum, seeming almost to wriggle from under the bow of
the ship like a live creature. Roote, the only one left in the
seine-boat, had been the last to see the oncoming ship. He gave one
quick look upward, and plunged from the seine-boat into the sea. Even
so, the chances were in his favor, but as he touched the water the ship
crashed into the seine-boat, and a piece of the wreckage hit him on the
head.

It all happened in a flash, but at the instant that he was struck,
Colin, still in his oilskins and sea-boots, dived into the water.
Fortunately, he cleared the vortex. In a few seconds Roote came up, and
Colin grabbed him by the hair. The statistician was insensible, which
made matters easier for the boy. But the oilskins and sea-boots were an
impossible load, and it was only by great exertion that he managed at
last to get them off and still keep Roote afloat. Soon after this
relief, too, the statistician showed signs of life, and after
successfully fending off a struggle, Colin succeeded in getting the
injured man to rest his weight on him in the least tiring manner.

"I don't swim much," said the net expert. "How about you? How long can
you keep afloat?"

"Long enough twice over for them to find us," said Colin cheerfully.
"I'm a regular fish in the water."

But the boy soon found out that it was a far different thing swimming
under normal conditions and really having to battle for his life in a
fair seaway. Roote, too, soon relapsed once more into unconsciousness,
and the boy had to support his weight. He was a swimmer, a champion
swi