ing, close ahead
of the cutter. I caught hold of one who was just sinking, and hauled
him over the bows, while the other two got in without my help. I looked
round to see what had become of the rest of the people. Two marines
were clinging to the keel of the boat, and she was on the point of
striking our stern, by which she would have been carried under our
bottom, when I sculled alongside and got the two jollies on board. By
the glance I had had at her just before, I observed that another person
had been with them, while, as I was getting in the three first men, a
cry for help had reached my ears.

"Oh! sir, there's Mr --- gone, poor fellow!" exclaimed one of the
marines saved. "There he is, though!"

Directly under the water, where he pointed, I saw a head of hair or a
bunch of seaweed, I could not tell which; but, on the chance of its
being the former, I sculled up to it. The sun shone forth brightly, and
I caught a glimpse of a human face convulsed with agony beneath the
tide. Twice it eluded me; but stretching out my arm, and almost going
overboard and capsizing our already over-crowded boat, I got firm hold
of a person by the hair, who, I saw, had a midshipman's patch on the
collar of his jacket. I had some difficulty in getting the seemingly
lifeless body of my brother officer into the boat.

Seeing that there was no one else to be saved--for several boats had
shoved off from the shore and vessels at anchor near at hand to pick up
the rest of the people--I paddled my nearly sinking boat alongside the
cutter. Hearing my hail as I jumped into the punt, the crew had rushed
on deck, and were standing ready to hand on board the half-drowned
midshipman and the men I had been the means of saving. The latter were
none the worse for their ducking, except that their clothes were
wettish.

"You'll want a clean shirt, mate," said one of our people to a Patlander
from the frigate.

"Arrah! now didn't I put a dry one in my pocket this blessed morning; so
it will be all handy for me," he exclaimed, diving into the recesses of
his dripping peacoat.

The midshipman, who was still insensible, was, by Hanks' advice, carried
down into the gun-room. We were unwilling to run the risk of the delay
which must have occurred had he been conveyed on board his own ship.

"Bring a glass of hot grog; and let it be pretty stiff, steward!" said
Hanks, as we were engaged in stripping our patient and putting him into
my berth