e _men_ on board and not
swim ashore with the old women. Then she ran below. In a few minutes
she reappeared, with a fine powerful Pleasant Island native named Karta,
carrying our Chinese steward, who was paralysed with drink and terror.
Hayes took the man up in his arms and, seeing one of the boats close
to, threw him overboard without further ado. Then Lalia and I again
went below for another of the boxes, and, aided by Karta, we had got it
half-way up the companion ladder when the brig rose her stern high to
a mountain sea, and then came down with a terrific crash on to a coral
boulder, ripping her rudder from the stern post, and sending it clean
through the deck. Lalia fell backwards into the cabin, and the heavy
chest slipped down on the top of her, crushing her left foot cruelly
against the companion lining, and jamming her slender body underneath.
Karta and myself tried hard to free the poor tortured girl, but without
avail, and then some of our Rotumah Island sailors, hearing our cries
for help, ran down, and by our united exertions, we got her clear, put
her in the steward's bunk--as she had fainted--and lugged the chest on
deck.

One of the traders' whale-boats was lying close to, and the chest was,
by the merest chance, dropped into her just as the brig came down again
on the coral boulder with a thundering crash and smashed a big hole into
her timbers under her starboard counter. In a few minutes she began to
fill.

'It's all up with her, boys,' cried the philosophical 'Bully.' 'Jump for
the boats all of you; but wait for a rising sea, or you'll get smashed
up on the coral. Bo'sun, take a look round below, and see that there are
no more women there. We must take care of the women, boys.'

Karta, the brave Pleasant Islander, a Manila man named Sarreo, and
myself then went below for Lalia. She was sitting up in the steward's
bunk, stripped to the waist, and only awaiting help to get on deck.
Already the main cabin had three feet of water in it, and just as we
lifted the girl out, another sea came in over deck and nearly filled it;
and with it came the bruised and battered dead body of a little native
boy, who, crouching up under the shelter of the companion, had been
killed by the wheel falling upon and crushing him when the rudder was
carried away.

Half-drowned, we managed to struggle on deck, Karta carrying the girl,
and the Manila man and I helping each other together. The brig was now
quite under wat