at seemed to say to me: "Oh, save
him, save him!" And I don't know how it was, but feeling that something
ought to be done, I crept along once more to the captain's cabin, and
going down, there, in the dim light, I could see him sitting on a
locker, with a bottle in his hand, and a horrible wild stupid look on
his face, which told me in a moment that he wasn't a fit man to have
been trusted with the lives of forty people in a good new ship. Then I
stood half-bewildered for a few moments, but directly after I was up on
deck, and alongside of Mr Vallance.

"Will you stand by me, sir," I says, "if I'm took to task for what I
do?"

"What are you going to do?" he says.

"Shy that iron over the side."

"To the death, my man!"

"Then lash her fast where she is," I said, nodding to Mrs Vallance;
"and, in God's name, come on."

I saw the poor thing's arms go tight round his neck, and though I
couldn't hear a word she said, I knew it meant: "Don't leave me;" but he
just pointed upwards a moment, kissed her tenderly; and then, I helping,
we made her fast, and the next minute were alongside the hatches, just
over where I knew the great pillars to be.

I knew it was a desperate thing to do, but it was our only chance; and
after swinging round the fore-yard, and rigging up some tackle, the men
saw what was meant, and gave a bit of a cheer. Then they clustered
together, passengers and men, while I shouted to Mr Vallance, offering
him his choice--to go below with another, to make fast the rope to the
pillars, or to stay on deck.

He chose going below; and warning him that we should clap on the hatches
from time to time, to keep out the water, I got hold of a marlinespike,
loosened the tarpaulin a little, had one hatch off, and then stationed
two on each side, to try and keep the opening covered every time a wave
came on board.

It seemed little better than making a way in for the sea to send us to
the bottom at once; but I knew that it was our only hope, and
persevered. Mr Vallance and one of the men went below, the tackle was
lowered, and in less time than I expected, they gave the signal to haul
up. We hauled--the head of the pillar came above the coamings, went
high up, then lowered down till one end rested on the bulwarks; the rope
was cast off; and then, with a cheer, in spite of the rolling of the
ship, it was sent over the side to disappear in the boiling sea.

Another, and another, and another, weighing full s