o the hollow of the sea, and the man was swung high into
the air, where he was again caught sight of by Dumsby.

"What! are you there yet?" he cried. "You must be fond of a swing--"

Before he could say more the ship rolled over to the other side, and
Forsyth was hid from view.

"Now, lad, now! now!" shouted the boat's crew, as the unhappy man once
more neared the gunwale.

Forsyth hesitated. Suddenly he became desperate and sprang, but the
hesitation gave him a much higher fall than he would otherwise have had;
it caused him also to leap wildly in a sprawling manner, so that he came
down on the shoulders of his comrades "all of a lump". Fortunately they
were prepared for something of the sort, so that no damage was done.

When the boats were at last filled they pushed off and rowed towards the
rock. On approaching it the men were cautioned to pull steadily by Mr
Stevenson, who steered the leading boat.

It was a standing order in the landing department that every man should
use his greatest exertions in giving to the boats sufficient velocity to
preserve their steerage way in entering the respective creeks at the
rock, that the contending seas might not overpower them at places where
the free use of the oars could not be had on account of the surrounding
rocks or the masses of seaweed with which the water was everywhere
encumbered at low tide. This order had been thoroughly impressed upon
the men, as carelessness or inattention to it might have proved fatal to
all on board.

As the leading boat entered the fairway, its steersman saw that more
than ordinary caution would be necessary; for the great green billows
that thundered to windward of the rock came sweeping down on either side
of it, and met on the lee-side, where they swept onward with
considerable, though much abated force.

"Mind your oars, lads; pull steady," said Mr Stevenson, as they began
to get amongst the seaweed.

The caution was unnecessary as far as the old hands were concerned; but
two of the men happened to be new hands, who had come off with Ruby, and
did not fully appreciate the necessity of strict obedience. One of
these, sitting at the bow-oar, looked over his shoulder, and saw a heavy
sea rolling towards the boat, and inadvertently expressed some fear.
The other man, on hearing this, glanced round, and in doing so missed a
stroke of his oar. Such a preponderance was thus given to the rowers on
the opposite side, that when the w