him near the side. Just then the foreyard came surging up,
and I thought would strike him.

"Give me your hand!" I shrieked out.

I caught it barely in time. Stretcher leaned through a port, and we got
Dicky in at the moment that the yard came thundering against the side,
almost grazing his foot. All this was but the work of a second.
Popples had in the meantime, by great exertions, managed to get the
master on board; and his next attempt was to save Captain Cranley. He,
however, was much further out, hanging on to one of the topmasts. None
of the ropes near him which we could reach would come home. There
appeared to be no means of saving him. Two other men were, however, got
in.

"Come, I can't bear to see our old skipper washed away before our eyes.
What will his wife and children do?" exclaimed Jack Stretcher. "I've no
one at home to care for me; so some on you clap on here, while I just
make a fly out, and see if I can't get hold of him."

The gallant fellow had made a rope fast to his waist, and was on the
point of making his perilous attempt by springing into the raging sea,
when a terrific wave came rolling up astern. Its curling crest lifted
high the spar to which the commander clung. I fancied that I could see
his starting eyes take one last earnest glance at the ship, and his lips
moved as if imploring us to save him. Then down came the wave; and as
the ship was hurried on before it, its broken waters tore away his
already failing grasp, and in a moment he was buried from our sight. We
had no time to mourn for him then. Mr Pullen instantly took command,
and Popples was fain to act as his first-lieutenant; while Sharpe and I
did our utmost to make ourselves useful.

The wreck of the masts, as I have said, kept the brig before the wind.
While some hands set to work to rig the pumps, others got up a bit of a
jury-mast, secured to the stump of the foremast. On this we managed to
spread a topgallant-sail, which helped her along famously. All hands
who could possibly be spared were required to work the pumps, spell and
spell; and the wonder was, when we found the immense quantity of water
she had taken on board, that she had not gone down. As it was, her deck
and upper works leaked in every direction; and we all felt that such,
even now, might be our fate. I shall never forget the anxiety of that
first night, as, amid the raging seas, with the gale howling round us,
our near sinking ship, bat