n' no 'arm, sir," said Joe, in surprise.

"Get below," said the mate, sharply. "Do you hear?--get below. You'll be
sleeping in your watch if you don't sleep now."

The sounds of a carefully modulated grumble came faintly aft, then the
mate, leaning away from the wheel to avoid the galley which obstructed
his view, saw that his order had been obeyed.

"Now," said the skipper, quietly, "you must give a perfect scream of
horror, mind, and put this on the deck. It fell off as I went over, d'ye
see?"

He handed over the slipper he had been wearing, and the mate took it
surlily.

"There ought to be a splash," he murmured. "Joe's awake."

The skipper vanished, to reappear a minute or two later with a sack into
which he had hastily thrust a few lumps of coal and other rubbish. The
mate took it from him, and, placing the slipper on the deck, stood with
one hand holding the wheel and the other the ridiculous sack.

"Now," said the skipper.

The sack went overboard, and, at the same moment, the mate left the
wheel with an ear-splitting yell and rushed to the galley for the
life-belt which hung there. He crashed heavily into Joe, who had rushed
on deck, but, without pausing, ran to the side and flung it overboard.

"Skipper's overboard," he yelled, running back and putting the helm
down.

Joe put his head down the fore-scuttle and yelled like a maniac; the
others came up in their night-gear, and in a marvellously short space of
time the schooner was hove to and the cook and Joe had tumbled into the
boat and were pulling back lustily in search of the skipper.

Half an hour elapsed, during which those on the schooner hung over the
stern listening intently. They could hear the oars in the rowlocks and
the shouts of the rowers. Tim lit a lantern and dangled it over the
water.

"Have you got 'im?" cried Ben, as the boat came over the darkness and
the light of the lantern shone on the upturned faces of the men.

"No," said Joe, huskily.

Ben threw him a line, and he clambered silently aboard, followed by the
cook.

"Better put about," he said to the mate, "and cruise about until
daylight. We ain't found the belt either, and it's just possible he's
got it."

The mate shook his head. "It's no good," he said, confidently; "he's
gone."

"Well, I vote we try, anyhow," said Joe, turning on him fiercely. "How
did it happen?"

"He came up on deck to speak to me," said the mate, shortly. "He fancied
he heard a cry from th