losed
tightly to keep out the spray, since more than once a great wave had
struck against it with a heavy thud that evening, and we did not want a
wet cabin to add to our other miseries.

I swung open the round iron frame, and gazed at the furious sea, all
covered with its white foam, but there was nothing visible for a time.
Then all at once something swung by as the ship rose after careening
over and literally rolling in the hollow between two great waves.

It was momentary, and like a faint shadow, but directly after, with the
swing as of some great pendulum, it passed by again.

The next time I was ready for it, feeling as I did that it was some of
Bob Hampton's work, and reaching out as far as I could get my arm, I
gazed straight before me, trying vainly to make out what it was in the
darkness.

"See anything?"

"No," I said; but the next instant something struck my hand, swept by,
came back, and I had hold of it to draw into the cabin, cut the string
again, and then hastily closed the window--just in time too, for a wave
broke against it directly after with a heavy thud.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

As soon as the roar and rush of water had passed, Mr Frewen whispered--

"Another pistol?"

"Yes," I said, for I had been hurriedly tearing off the drenched canvas
in which it had been wrapped so securely that though the woollen bag in
which pistol and cartridges lay was quite damp, as far as I could tell
they were none the worse for being dipped again and again into the sea.

For there is a capital quality in canvas as a protector; as the material
gets thoroughly soaked it swells and tightens, till it is a long way on
toward being waterproof; and after carefully feeling the weapon, and
examining it in every way we could in the darkness, Mr Frewen expressed
his opinion that it was uninjured, and placed it in his breast to dry.

"This will do for Mr Preddle," he said, and after listening at the
door, where nothing was to be heard but the creaking of the ship's
timbers as she laboured on, sounding to me as if at any moment she might
come to pieces, my fellow-prisoner tapped softly at the partition, and
placing his lips to the opening, called softly upon Mr Preddle.

This had to be repeated several times without effect, and it was not
until I had taken Mr Frewen's place and jerked a little empty phial
bottle through, so that it fell upon him where he was sleeping, that Mr
Preddle started up and cried loudly--