t and ankles, while it soon
invaded the grating upon which my own boot-covered feet were placed.

"Much injured, sir?" I shouted; and Mr Brooke gave me back poor
Mercutio's answer to his friend, in _Romeo and Juliet_--

"'Tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door: but 'tis
enough; 'twill serve."

"Here, my lads, one of you; I must have a frock."

"Right, sir, mine'll do," said the coxswain, unfastening and dragging
his white duck garment over his head.

This was soaked and wrung out to make it softer, and then thrust into
the hole in our bows.

"There, you must sit forward here, and plant both feet against it, my
lad," said Mr Brooke.

"Ay, ay, sir. Men never knows what he may come to. Fancy my toots
being used to caulk a leak!"

He, laughing, sat down on the forward thwart, and pressed his feet
against the jacket.

"Now then, a man to bale," cried Mr Brooke, and the coxswain fished the
tin baler out of the locker forward. "No; pass it here," continued our
leader. "Pull away, my lads, and Mr Herrick and I will take it in
turns to bale. We must get out of this narrow creek as soon as we can."

"Me balee water out," squeaked Ching, who looked very wet and miserable.

"No, thank you," said Mr Brooke coldly.

"Beg pardon, sir; I've got nothin' to do but sit here like a himage,"
said the coxswain; "I can reach down and bale."

"Without shifting your feet?"

"Yes, sir; look here."

The man took the baler, and began to send the water, which still came in
but slowly, over the side; while, after satisfying myself that we should
not be obliged to run our boat ashore and tramp back to the city, I kept
on directing anxious glances backward to see if we were pursued.

"We shan't sink, Herrick," said Mr Brooke, returning to my side; while,
after glancing at my very serious, and at the young lieutenant's stern
countenance, Ching crept forward under the oars to where the coxswain
was baling, and, getting a second tin from the locker, he seated
himself, tucked his loose things out of the way, and began meekly to
toss out the water as fast as he could scoop it up.

"That fellow's a traitor," said Mr Brooke to me in a low voice, after a
glance back by Ching.

"Oh no, I hope not, sir," I said.

"I wish I could hope so too, my lad. There's a deal of cunning in his
plans, and he tried hard to make it seem that he was all the time
working upon our side; but I feel as if he has led us into a trap, a