king her heel over before it, and at the same time the rollers
which came in from the offing increased in height, and we could hear
their roar as they broke on the shore to leeward. The ship pitched
fearfully into them, and every moment I expected to see the cable part.
Should such be the case, I was very sure that not many minutes
afterwards all on board would be struggling for their lives. I thought
of my brother and the lieutenant, and of the unhappy captain. I
intended, should the cable part, immediately to rush below and set them
all at liberty. Although the captain had so cruelly ill-treated us, I
could not reconcile it to my conscience to allow him to perish without a
chance of escaping, which he would do were he left bound hand and foot.
I told Harry what I thought of doing.

"No doubt," he said. "Should the captain escape, he would scarcely fail
to be grateful to us for saving his life; and if he is drowned
notwithstanding, we have done our duty."

The mate, who had been below, now came on deck. He evidently did not
like the look of things. Two or three times he went forward and
examined the cable, at which the ship seemed to be tugging with all her
might as she rose on the summits of the heavy foaming swells. He then
got another cable ranged to let go should the first part.

"If I were him, I'd get ready to make sail. The sky looks to me as if
the wind were coming more to the south'ard; and if so, we may chance to
stand off shore should the ship cast the right way."

"I would not hesitate to tell him so," I observed; "when his life may
depend upon it, he may perhaps take your advice, although he will not
follow that of any other man."

"At all events, I'll try it," said Tubbs; and going up to the mate, he
told him what he thought. I had very little hope, however, that the
mate would listen to him.

"You think yourself a better seaman than I am. Just go and attend to
your duty," was the answer. Not two minutes had elapsed, however,
before the mate ordered the crew to stand by the halyards. Presently he
shouted, "All hands make sail."

The boatswain went forward, axe in hand, to cut the cable. The
topsails, closely-reefed, were let fall, the fore-staysail and jib
hoisted.

"Cut!" shouted the mate.

The ship cast the right way to starboard, the helm was put to port, and
she begun to stand off from the shore.

"She'll do it, and we shall have a new lease of life," observed Tubbs
when he