ere. His arms and wrists ached, his legs
felt cramped, and a peculiar tingling numbness began to assail him, as
more and more he was forced to the conclusion that there was only one
way out of the difficulty, and that was to descend--if he could, for he
knew that this would be as difficult a task again.

There was a slight rustling, and raising his head once more very slowly,
he looked over to dimly make out the figure of the man who was on guard
leaning over the same part of the stern as before, and smoking, a faint
glow arising from his pipe at every puff.

"It's all over," thought Mark. "I shall have to drop into the water and
let them haul me in. I can't get down. If I move, he'll come and break
my head or smash my fingers."

In this spirit he turned his head a little to try and look downward, but
it was too dark to see anything, and if it had been otherwise, he could
at the most have seen his shoulder, in the cramped attitude he occupied.

He had some idea of signalling by tugging at the cord, but he found that
he could not get at it without loosening one hand, which was not to be
thought of; besides, if he had tugged, in all probability Tom Fillot
would have believed that it was the signal that the cord was made fast,
tighten it, and drag him off. So at last he said to himself, "Now for
it," and prepared to drop.

But he hesitated. Who would not under the circumstances? It was not
many feet down, but the water was black, and there was the thought of
the sharks.

He tried to make up his mind for the bold plunge, but still he could
not. The perspiration stood out on his forehead, his hands grew wet,
and his breath came short; but at last, when feeling that his task must
be done, for if he did not drop, Tom Fillot would begin to climb up,
only to be struck back, he drew a long breath, and pressing his feet
hard against the stern, instead of descending he began to draw himself
up. Striving gently he glided on to the rail, and from there, as softly
as a serpent, lowered himself to the deck, crept along for a few feet
and then began to unfasten the line about his chest, and secured it to
the stout iron upon which the block ran from side to side, and held down
the heavy boom of the fore and aft mainsail.

For all at once, when he was at his worst pitch of agony and despair at
his failure, a familiar voice from somewhere forward cried sharply:

"Jeffs."

"Hello," said the man close by him, softly.

"F