Shove off, bowman!
Up oars! Let fall! Give way together!"

The oarsmen, rather vexed at the turn of events, obeyed the several
orders, and the boat was again cutting the still waters of the fjord.
All around them were rocks, with several large and small islands in
sight. In various places on the rocks were affixed iron rings, to
which vessels could make fast in warping out of the bay when the wind
was light or foul. A portion of the rock to which they were attached
was whitewashed, so that the rings could easily be found, even in the
night. To one of these rings, on a small island near Odderoe, which
commanded a full view of the landing-place, De Forrest directed the
coxswain to steer the boat.

"Make fast to that ring," said the officer.

"Ay, ay, sir," replied the bowman.

"Perhaps you would like to land here," added the lieutenant, in a
jeering tone, as though he felt that he had checkmated his crew in any
evil purpose they entertained. "Whether you do or not, I think I shall
stretch my legs on these rocks."

De Forrest leaped from thwart to thwart, and then over the bow upon
the island, as though he felt nothing but contempt for the power of
the boat's crew to do mischief. He walked up the rough rocks to the
summit of the islet, where he paused, and for the first time glanced
at his companions, whom he suspected of harboring some design against
the peace and dignity of the ship. As he did so, he discovered a
steamer, which had just passed through the narrow opening between
Odderoe and the main land, and whose course lay close to the point of
the island where the cutter was moored. He saw that the swash of the
steamer was likely to throw the boat on the rocks, and grind her
planking upon the sharp points of the island.

"In the boat!" he shouted, lustily. "Shove off!"

Sanford saw the danger which the lieutenant wished to avert, and
promptly obeyed the orders.

"Shove off, Stockwell!" he promptly shouted. "Up oars! Stern, all!
Give way!"

Stockwell gave a tremendously hard push when he shoved off, and the
cutter shot far out upon the still waters; in fact, so far that she
was forced directly into the way of the approaching steamer.

[Illustration: THE ACCIDENT TO THE SECOND CUTTER. Page 57.]

"Oars!" yelled the coxswain furiously, when he saw that he had
overdone the matter. "Hold water! Go ahead! Give way!"

The crew, even in this moment of deadly peril,--for it looked as
though, in another instant,