e
ran out to the extreme limit.

Brace watched anxiously for the iron to catch in the bottom and check
their way. But he looked in vain.

"That's no good," said the American sharply. "Bound to say you'd want a
rope ten times as long as that one up here, and if you had it no
gimcrack of a grapnel like that would take hold of the smooth rock
bottom."

"Well, what else can I do? We seem to be helpless," said Lynton.

Briscoe replied, in a most determined voice:

"Order out the oars, sir, if you don't want the boat to be swamped and
your bones to be picked by these fiends of fish."

The men did not wait for orders from their officer, but seized the oars,
and the next minute they were pulling with a long, steady, vigorous
stroke in the direction the mate steered; but from where Brace sat aft
he could see that they were still gliding gradually upward.

It was only too plain to him that this was the case, for he could mark
their position by fixing his eyes upon a rock on the farther shore and
see that they were first abreast of it and soon after leaving it behind
them.

"We've got our work cut out here, Mr Lynton," said the American
sternly. "I should change course again, sir, and make a tack in the
other direction." Then, turning to the sailors, he said:

"Stick to your oars, my lads, and pull a steady stroke. No flurry. Be
cool."

"Look here, sir: are you in command of this boat or am I?" cried the
second mate, losing his temper in his excitement.

"Neither of us, I reckon," said the American coolly. "Strikes me no
human being is in command of her now. She's going where the current
takes her."

"Well, I don't want you interfering and giving orders to the men,"
answered the mate.

"Suppose we take our orders from Mr Brace here." Briscoe turned to
Brace. "What do you say, sir--do you think my advice is good?"

"Yes, Lynton, it is good," said Brace firmly. "Do as Mr Briscoe says."

"All right, sir; I'll take my orders from you as I would from your
brother; but I'm not going to be hustled about over my work by a Yankee
who came aboard as a stowaway."

"That will do, Mr Lynton," said Brace haughtily. "I'd be willing to
take my orders from any man if I felt that they were right, as I know
these are, and you do too if you will only be a little reasonable and
think."

"I don't want any thinking, sir," said Lynton frankly. "Yes, it's right
enough. Pull, my lads, a good steady stroke, one that you