'll do the job."

"Right! Up with you! Now, Blane, and you, Dale, have the boat round
here to the gangway, and down into her. Mr Frewen, you and I will
lower tackle, and have all up we can to lighten her."

The men cheered, and, as excited as they were, I added my shout, and the
next minute we were all at work as ordered by the mate. The boat was
soon brought round, made fast, and by the time Barney and I were in, the
port-gangway was opened, and tackle lowered, to which we made fast one
of the breakers of water, and saw it hauled up. The other followed, and
then cases, biscuit-bags, everything heavy was roped together and hauled
up on them, till nothing remained but small things that it would have
taken too long to collect.

"Now then," shouted Mr Brymer, "look out!" and there was a creaking and
clanging sound as the iron wheel of the tackle used for loading and
unloading the cargo spun round, and the falls for running up boats to
the davits descended, and were hooked on bow and stern.

"Now then, up with you!" cried the mate; and we seized the rope lowered,
and climbed on board.

"Are they close here, sir?" I panted.

"Don't talk; no. Ready there at the capstan?"

"Ay, ay," came back.

"Haul away then."

The rattle and clang of the tackle began, as the men turned with all
their might, the catches on either side making sure of every foot they
won, and by degrees the heavy boat rose slowly out of the water, and
higher and higher, till she was above the bulwarks, when the men
cheered, ceased turning, made all fast, and while two of us got hold of
the painter and swung the boat's head round, the crane-like spar, at
whose end the iron wheel, hung, was slewed round till the boat was well
on board.

Then Hampton and Barney ran back to the capstan and lowered away, till
the boat lay on its side on the deck, when, with a rousing cheer, the
gangway was closed, and I felt that I could breathe; for, as I looked
over the bulwarks for our enemies, there they were, steadily rowing
toward us, but still quite a mile away.

I breathed more freely then, for, in spite of their superior strength, I
felt that our position was not unfavourable. The sides of the ship were
high and smooth, and, without help from within, the only likely places
for our enemies to be able to gain the deck were from under the
bowsprit, where I had climbed up, or through the stern-windows. But we
had a keen and thoughtful man in command. M