of dippers, and
we never thought of anybody's throwing them overboard."

"No! no!" cried all the skippers and mates together. "We never thought
of that!"

"Then bring out the life-preservers at once!" said Aunt Amanda. "And be
quick about it!"

"We haven't any," said Mr. Mizzen. "What would have been the use of
life-preservers if the dippers were all on board? We never thought we
would need them."

"No! no!" cried all the skippers and mates together. "We never thought
of that!"

"Then think of something now," said Aunt Amanda. "Don't you see the
ship's settling deeper in the water?"

The ship was in fact deeper in the water. It was sinking rapidly. The
deck began to list so much towards the stern that it was difficult to
stand on it. The ship was making no headway whatever. The breeze was
even lighter than before, and the sails were hanging limp. It would have
taken a stiff wind indeed to have moved that water-logged boat; and it
lay as if moored to a float, going up and down heavily in the long
swell.

"Do you--er--think," said the Old Codger with the Wooden Leg, "that we
are in--er--danger?"

"Danger!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Something must be done! Are you going to
let us drown without turning a hand?"

"There's only one thing to do," said Mr. Mizzen, "and I don't know
whether it will work or not; but we can try it. Boys, bring up all the
mattresses from the cabins, and a coil of rope! Look alive, now!"

The skippers and mates ran off in great haste and disappeared down the
hatchways. In a few minutes they had laid on the deck a great pile of
mattresses. While this was being done, Aunt Amanda, whose bonnet and
shawl had been brought to her by one of the men, tied her bonnet-strings
under her chin and put her shawl about her shoulders, in readiness for
departure.

"Now then," said Mr. Mizzen, "lash the mattresses together."

The men proved themselves very handy with ropes. With Mr. Mizzen's help,
they lashed together securely a good number of the mattresses, and the
first result of their work was a mattress raft some fifteen feet square,
and some four or five feet thick. A supply of oil-cloth was found in the
store-room, and this was bound by ropes all over and under and around
the raft.

"I don't know whether it will do," said Mr. Mizzen, "but anyway there's
nothing else that _will_ do. Now, lads, over the side with her!"

All the men lent a hand, and the mattress raft was hoisted over the side
and o