hatchway to investigate. It was as I had feared; they had scuttled
the ship, for already there was something like three feet of water in
the hold. You may be sure I didn't waste much time down below after
making that discovery; I just scrambled up on deck again as quick as
ever I could, and told the men what had happened. The barque was bound
to go, of course,--we could do nothing to keep her afloat,--so I jumped
to the side to see after the boats. They were gone, all but the long-
boat, which, as I told you just now, was lying in the starboard gangway.
I crossed the deck to take a look at her, and then saw why the pirates
had left her there unused; she was stove in on the starboard side, her
planks being crushed and her timbers broken over a space measuring some
six feet by two. As she was then she would not float two minutes; she
would have filled the moment we dropped her into the water. But when
Chips came to overhaul her he had a notion that he could patch her up
enough to make her carry us. As a matter of fact, it rested between
that and the whole lot of us drowning; for the barque was filling so
fast that there was no time for us to put a raft together. So the
carpenter fetched his tools and went to work there and then, the rest of
us lending a hand and fetching things as Chips sung out for them. First
of all, he gently coaxed the broken timbers and planking back into their
places, as nearly as he could get them; then he got a couple of strips
of canvas big enough to cover the hole, one of which he dressed with
tallow on both sides, working the grease well into the fabric. Then,
with small, flat-headed tacks, spaced close together, he nailed this
first piece of canvas over the hole, allowing it plenty of overlap.
Then he took the other piece of canvas,--which was cut an inch larger
each way than the first piece,--tarred it well, and strained it tightly
over the first piece. Then he cut a third piece of canvas, which he
fixed over the hole on the _inside_ of the boat, nailing the bottom and
two ends of the canvas so that it formed a sort of pocket. Then he got
a lot of oakum, which he first soaked in tar and then stuffed into this
pocket arrangement until it was packed as tightly as it was possible to
pack it. This was to keep the broken planks and timbers in place. And
finally he nailed up the top of the pocket, declaring, as he flung down
his tools, that the boat was now ready for hoisting out. And i