him to catch him. Gunter soon found, after bruising
his shins and elbows, and stumbling over ropes, etcetera, that the
effort was hopeless, and gave it up.

"But I'll pay you off w'en I gits a hold of 'ee, Luke. You make sure o'
that," he growled as he gave up the chase.

"All right, Gunter; I'll give you a chance to-morrow, lad, if you'll
only bear a hand wi' the skipper just now."

Without another word Gunter, who was somewhat sobered by the cold bath,
went to where the skipper lay, and attempted to raise him. Being joined
by the others the skipper was rolled to the side of the vessel, and then
lifted in a half-sitting position on to the rail, where he was held in
the grasp of Gunter and the Coper's skipper, while Luke and Billy,
jumping into the boat, hauled it close under the spot.

There was what Billy called a "nasty jobble of a sea on," so that many
difficulties met in the job they had in hand. These may be best stated
by the actors themselves.

"Now then, boy, haul up a bit--ever so little, there; too much; ease off
a bit. Hold on!"

"All right Luke, but she pitches about so, that a feller can't hit the
exact spot."

"Look out now, Gunter," said Luke; "let 'im go so as he'll come plump
into my arms. Not too soon, else you'll stand a chance o' sendin' us
both through the bottom of the boat."

"No, nor yet too late," cried the anxious Billy, "else he'll go flop
into the sea!"

It was nervous work, for if he should go flop into the sea he would have
been certain to go down like a stone.

One or two attempts were made. The boat, rising up from a hollow in the
sea to a height of several feet, surged close to where the men with
their drunken burden stood.

"Look out!" cried Luke, with arms extended and ten fingers in a
claw-like position.

"Now then," growled Gunter.

But the treacherous wave fell short, and David Bright was on the point
of being dropt into the sea when his friends' fingers clawed him back to
safety.

"Better make fast a rope to him," suggested Billy, in breathless
anxiety.

The skipper of the Coper acted on the advice at once, and made the end
of a rope fast round Bright's waist.

Again the boat rose, surged seaward, then swooped towards the Coper,
against which it would have been dashed but for the strong arms of Luke.
It rose so high that the drunk man was for a moment on a level with the
gunwale. It was too good a chance to be missed.

"Shove!" roared Gunter.

Ove