."

"I'm sorry to hear that, for I should have liked to have got her safe
into harbour," I answered. "But I suppose there is no help for it."

"We'll take another spell at the pumps before we give in," he replied.
"But I wanted to tell you, sir, that to my mind that poor gentleman will
be killing himself if he works away as he does; and as he is of no great
use to us, it would be better if he sat down and rested himself."

On hearing this, Miss Marlow darted forward to her father, and seizing
him by the arm, tried to force him away from the pumps. He soon yielded
to her entreaties, and almost fainting with fatigue, came and sat down
aft.

"Now, my lads," cried Jack to the men, who, one after the other, had
thrown themselves down on the deck, "we'll see if we can't keep the old
craft afloat till we get her into harbour."

But no one responded to his summons. Just then my eye fell on the white
sail of a vessel appearing above the dark horizon right ahead of us. I
pointed it out to Jack.

"It's the cutter, sir, to a certainty," he exclaimed, after scrutinising
it attentively. "Huzza! my lads, there's help at hand, if you will but
hold out an hour longer."

The men, encouraged by his words and example, resumed their labours, and
again sent the water gushing through the scuppers. It was an anxious
time; for after all I felt that the sail in sight might not prove to be
the cutter, or she might be crossing our course and not see us. Our
last remnant of food and water had been served out, with the exception
of a biscuit, which I had kept for the little girl and her father; so
that all hands were very hungry as well as fatigued. I had tightened my
belt round my waist to serve me for my breakfast. I watched the vessel
as she rose higher and higher above the horizon; and, to my great joy, I
at length saw that she was, at all events, a large cutter, beating up
towards us. I called Jack to look at her again.

"She's the _Serpent_, and no mistake," he exclaimed. "She'll be down to
us in another hour, if the wind holds. My doubt is if the ship will
swim as long," he added in a whisper to me; "but we'll do our best,
sir."

"Let me know in time if the water gains much on us, that we may get the
young lady and the gentleman into the boat," said I.

"Ay, ay, sir," he answered, as he went forward, and with a loud cheer,
resumed his labours.

The minutes dragged slowly on; for, though I had no fear for our lives,
I