low groan.

Aleck's left hand acted as it were upon its own responsibility, closing
in the darkness upon Eben's shirt and holding fast, while the lad's
right hand held up the boat's gunwale.

The next moment he felt himself drawn off his feet and being dragged
through the water, in which the boat was jerking and dancing as if to
shake itself free.

It was too dark to see, but this is what was taking place. As the party
of three were trying their best to get the little yawl afloat the
shingle clung fast to its keel and very little progress was made,
although Tom Bodger thrust and jerked at it with all his might, more
like a dwarf than ever, for his wooden legs went down in the wet shingle
at every movement, right to the socket stumps; but at last, when their
efforts began to appear to be in vain, a little soft swell rolled in,
just as a rush was being made by the press-gang, the boat lifted astern,
and as the water passed under it, literally leaped up forward, shaking
itself free of the clinging sand and stones, and, yielding to the three
launchers, glided right away.

It was none too soon. Aleck was holding on upon one side nearly
amidships, while Tom on the other side let the gunwale glide through his
hands till they were close to the bow, and then holding on fast with
both hands he made one of his jumps or hops, to add impetus to the
boat's way and get his breast over the bow and scramble in.

His bound--if it could be so-called--was very successful, for the next
moment he was balanced upon his chest across the gunwale, gripping at
the edge of the fore-locker, with his legs sticking out behind, and
exulting over the sensation of the boat dancing under him, when he felt
himself seized by one of the press-gang party, who had dashed in after
the boat and made a grab at the first thing that offered in the dark.

The sailor was unlucky in his hold, but no wonder, for the darkness gave
him no opportunity of making any choice, and as it happened he gripped
one of Tom's pegs with his right and followed it up by clapping his left
hand alongside, trying hard to drag his prisoner out or to stop the
boat.

As aforesaid he was unlucky, for he was to suffer an entirely new
experience. Had he grasped an ordinary human leg in the black darkness
he would only have had a jerking kick or two, and most probably he would
have held on, but here it was something very different.

"Got 'em!" he cried, loudly. "Come on!" and then