as swung over the pound.

As he spoke, the fish fell with a splash in the pound, and, the catch
being extra large, many of the bigger fish jumped out of the enclosure
and wriggled and slid about the deck. Charlie and another man picked
them up and tossed them back into the pound.

As soon as the net had been let right out again, Charlie walked aft and
found that Ping Wang was already there. The other men had gone for'ard
to clean and pack the fish.

'Are you ready?' Charlie asked.

'Quite,' Ping Wang answered, and at once they began to undress.

'I shall not take off my under-clothes,' Charlie said, 'in case the
water is very cold.'

'Nor will I,' Ping Wang said.

In a few moments both were ready.

'Chinee!' the mate shouted from the bridge. 'Chinee!' the men in the
fish-pound repeated.

'They have missed us,' Charlie said. 'I'm off.' He climbed on the
starboard gunwale, balanced himself for a moment and then dived into the
sea. Ping Wang was after him in an instant.

Charlie saw the sailing-boat and made towards it.

'Let us keep close together,' he said to Ping Wang, 'in case anything
should happen to either of us.'

Ping Wang did not wish to waste his breath in talking, but showed that
he agreed with Charlie's suggestion by drawing closer to him. For a
time--they did not know for how long--they swam silently onwards, but
there was a big ocean swell, and often the ship for which they were
bound was completely hidden from their sight for some minutes. When they
did catch sight of her, they found that they were not making rapid
progress. They were still a long way from the ship, and when they had
been swimming for a good time, Ping Wang's courage began to fail him.

'I shall never reach her,' he declared, 'I'm getting tired. It is all up
with me.'

'Nonsense, man,' Charlie answered, swimming a little closer to him.
'Have a rest; float.'

Ping Wang acted on Charlie's advice.

'She was much farther from the _Sparrow-hawk_ than we thought,' Ping
Wang declared, when he had rested for a few moments.

'You're right,' Charlie answered; 'but we shall reach her in ten minutes
at the latest.'

Ping Wang, encouraged by what Charlie had said, turned over and resumed
swimming.

For more than ten minutes they swam steadily onward without saying a
word, but still the sailing-boat was a long way from them, and Charlie
vowed to himself that never again would he attempt to judge distances at
sea.

A few minute