however, we could reach
the hull of the blazing schooner, she gave one roll, and down she went
stern first, dragging with her into the vortex she made the few
struggling people clinging to the spars or bits of wreck near her.
Still, at a short distance off, I observed a man holding on to a spar.
We pulled towards him. As we approached he lifted up his head and
looked at us. His countenance bore an expression of rage and hatred.
It was that, I felt sure, of Captain Hansleig. Before, however, we
could reach him, shaking his fist at us, and uttering a fearful
imprecation, he let go of the spar, and throwing himself back, sank
beneath the waves. Horrified as I was, there was no time to lose in
thinking of the circumstance, as I had to look round to see if there was
anybody else to whom we could render assistance. I caught sight of
another person struggling in the water. He was trying to get hold of a
plank, but was evidently no swimmer, and I thought he would sink before
we could get up to him. I urged the boat's crew to pull as fast as they
could, as did the officer in command. Just before we got up to the
struggling man he sank, but I thought I saw his head far down below the
surface. So did Solon, who was watching the direction of my eyes, and
leaping in, he dived down, and in an instant brought up to the surface
the person, of whom he had a gripe by the collar of his jacket. When
Solon saw that the seamen had got hold of the person, he scrambled on
board again by the help of the oars.

"Poor fellow! he seems a mere lad," observed the officer in command of
the boat.

The man did not breathe, but he had been so short a time under the
surface that we had hoped he might be recovered. We saw, however, that
his side was injured, apparently by the explosion. Finding that there
was no one else to assist, we pulled back to the ship. For the first
time, as I was helping to haul the rescued man up the side, I looked at
his countenance, and changed as it was, I felt sure that it was that of
Sills. He was at once put under the surgeon's care. He was stripped,
dried, put between warm blankets, and gently rubbed, and in a short time
animation returned; but he was suffering very much from the injury he
had received. I told the surgeon who he was, and asked him if he
thought he would recover. He replied that he had not the slightest
chance of doing so, and that if I wished it, I had better see him
without delay. I w