hand, seize one of the
ravens by a leg and drag it through the bars to him, a ringing cheer
broke forth, which was mingled with shouts of uncontrollable laughter.

The operation of drawing the ill-omened bird through the somewhat narrow
opening against the feathers, had the double effect of ruffling it out
to a round and ragged shape, very much beyond its ordinary size, and of
rousing its spirit to ten times its wonted ferocity, insomuch that, when
once fairly inside, it attacked its captor with claw, beak, and wing
furiously. It had to do battle, however, with an infant Hercules.
Billy held on tight to its leg, and managed to restrain its head and
wings with one arm, while with the other he embraced the mast and slid
down to the lantern; but not before the raven freed its head and one of
its wings, and renewed its violent resistance.

On the lantern he paused for a moment to make the captive more secure,
and then let his legs drop over the edge of the lantern, intending to
get on the rounds of the ladder, but his foot missed the first one. In
his effort to regain it he slipped. At that instant the bird freed his
head, and with a triumphant "caw!" gave Billy an awful peck on the nose.
The result was that the poor boy fell back. He could not restrain a
shriek as he did so, but he still kept hold of the raven, and made a
wild grasp with his disengaged hand. Fortunately he caught the ladder,
and remained swinging and making vain efforts to hook his leg round one
of the ropes.

"Let go the bird!" shouted the mate, rushing underneath the struggling
youth, resolved at all hazards to be ready to break his fall if he
should let go.

"Howld on!" yelled Jerry MacGowl, springing up the ladder--as Jack
Shales afterwards said--like a Chimpanzee maniac, and clutching Billy by
the neck.

"Ye may let go now, ye spalpeen," said Jerry, as he held the upper half
of Billy's shirt, vest, and jacket in his powerful and capacious grasp,
"I'll howld ye safe enough."

At that moment the raven managed to free its dishevelled wings, the
fierce flapping of which it added to its clamorous cries and struggles
of indignation. Feeling himself safe, Billy let go his hold, and used
the freed hand to seize the raven's other leg. Then the Irishman
descended, and thus, amid the riotous wriggles and screams of the
dishevelled bird, and the cheers, laughter, and congratulations of his
friends, our little hero reached the deck in safety.

But