as if
a supernatural knife had been drawn across by a strong hand. The men
were hanging on, while a bellying, uncontrollable canvas buffeted them
as if it had volition and sense, and strove to knock their senses out of
them. A canvas adrift is like an unruly beast. All hands came through
the after-cabin, and attacked the thundering sail.

"For your lives now, chaps, before another sea comes! I can't slack away
these halliards. Bob, out knife, and up in the rings; cut them away."

The gaff had fallen, but it was not clear yet. In some mysterious
fashion the mizen halliards had yielded and slipped for some distance
after a sudden shock had cut the gaff halliards and let the jaws of the
gaff free; so now the sail would neither haul up nor come down. Like a
cat Bob sprang up the remaining rings, and hacked at the gear; the sail
fell--and so did Bob, with a dull thud.

"Oh! skipper, that's a bad 'un."

"Cast a line round him till we've stowed. Jim, take hold of her; she's
falling off! Shove her to the wind again till we're done! Now, lads, all
of you on to the sheet! Haul! oh, haul! Slack away them toppin' lifts.
So; now we've got her! Where's Bob?"

"Doctor's got him below, skipper." Poor Bob had tried to save himself
with his right arm, and his hand had been bent backwards over, and
doubled back on his forearm. Bob was settled for the rest of the gale.
Lewis soon had the broken limb put up, and Bob stolidly smoked and
pondered on the inequalities of life. Why was he, and not another, told
off to spring up that reeling mizen into a high breeze that ended by
mastering him, and flinging him as if he had been a poor wrestler
matched with a champion? Here he was--crippled.

"Well, Bob, if this is a specimen, we shall see something when it
clears."

"Yes, doctor; you may say that, you may. I never see nothing like it. If
you give a man ten hundred thousand goulden sovereigns, and you says,
'Tell me directly you see anything comin',' he couldn't. When I was on
the look-out, I held this 'ere hand, as is broken, up before my eyes,
and I couldn't see it, sir--and that's the gospel, as I'm here!"

"Do you think we're out of the track of ships?" "I know no more than
Adam, sir. Hello! what's that?"

"Up here, sir--up, quick!"

Ferrier's heart jumped as he thought--"Tom."

"Haul on here, sir, with us. God be praised, he took his rope over with
him. Haul, for the Lord's sake! Now! now!"

Ferrier lashed at his work in a fu