eeding
again and he insensible.

"Can you climb up, major?" said Gregory as the rope came down again.

"No, sir," said the major stoutly. "I shall have to be hauled up like a
passenger, I suppose. I am no climber. But won't they hear us on
deck?"

"I wonder they have not already," said the mate, though all was
perfectly still, and the stern stood out so much that they were in some
degree protected.

"This is confoundedly undignified, sir, confoundedly," said the major,
as the cotton rope was secured about his waist. "Hang it, Gregory, I
don't like it, sir. Can't I climb?"

"You said you could not. Will you try?"

"No; it's of no use. But really I do object to be swinging there at the
end of a string like a confounded leg of mutton under a bottle-jack.
Not too tight."

"No; that knot will not slip. There, shall I give the signal?"

"Yes--no--yes; and let me get it over as soon as I can. Good gracious!
if the men of my regiment were to see me now!"

The signal was given, the rope tightened, and the major uttered a low
cry as he was sharply lifted off his feet, and before he could check
himself surely enough he began to turn slowly round and round as if he
were being roasted.

Left alone now, Mr Gregory waited patiently till the rope came down
again, when he caught it and secured it round his waist, after which he
went to the bows of the gig, took the painter, and by pressing the stern
of the ship managed to draw the prow close up to the hull, and then
after a little search he discovered a ring-bolt upon the rudder-post, to
which he drew the boat, running the painter right through and making it
fast, so that the little vessel was well out of sight, unless seen by
the crews of one of the praus.

This done he went to the stern, tightened the rope, and found that if he
swung off he would go into the sea with a splash, an act sufficiently
noisy to arouse the watch presumably set on deck.

This was out of the question, and he was about to lower himself into the
water when the thought occurred to him to feel about the boat as to
whether anything had been left; and it proved to be as well that he did,
for beneath one of the thwarts his hand came in contact with a bag which
proved to contain the ammunition and one of the revolvers.

Gregory secured the bag to his neck, hoping and believing that he would
be able to keep it dry; and now, taking well hold of the rope, he let
himself glide down over the side