who comes
near."

"Right. I'm ready," said Drew; "but pray see to my friends."

Oliver was already on his way to the cabin hatch.

"You trust me for that, sir," said the mate. "Steady there. Ah! An
arrow! Here, quick; down with Mr Panton."

The men who had lifted him from the deck, panting with fear and horror,
were quick enough in their actions, and the two young men were soon
lying one on each side of the cabin floor.

"You shall be attended to directly, Mr Lane," said the mate, hurriedly.
"You're not bleeding much. Here, Smith, hold this cloth tightly
against Mr Lane's arm."

He hurried to Panton's side, and turned him more over upon his face,
showing the broken shaft of an arrow sticking through the cloth of the
young man's jacket. Then quickly taking out his knife, he did not
hesitate for a moment, but ordering Wriggs to hold the cabin lamp so as
to cast its light upon the broken arrow, he inserted his knife, and
ripped the light Norfolk jacket right up to the collar, and across the
injured place, so that he could throw it open, and then serving the thin
flannel shirt the young man wore in the same way, the wound was at once
laid bare, and the extent of the injury seen.

"Can't ha' gone into his heart, sir," said Wriggs, respectfully.
"'Cause it's pinting uppards."

"Yes," said Mr Rimmer, "imbedded in the muscles of his shoulder. Poor
fellow, best done while he's fainting."

It was rough surgery, but right. Taking hold of the broken arrow shaft,
of which about three inches stood up from the wound, which was just
marked by a few drops of blood, Mr Rimmer found that it was held
firmly, and resisted all efforts to dislodge it without violence, so
judging that the head was barbed, and that tearing would be dangerous,
he at once made a bold cut down into the flesh, parallel with the flat
of the arrow head, and then pressing it gently up and down, he drew the
missile forth. He followed this up by carefully washing out the wound
with clean water, and finally, before bandaging, poured in some ammonia.

Just as he gave the final touches to the bandage, Panton came to, and
looked wildly round, his eyes resting at last upon the mate's.

"You have taken out the arrow?" he asked.

"Yes, and made a good job of you, sir," said the mate, cheerily. "I
didn't think I was such a surgeon."

Panton grasped his arm, and whispered hoarsely,--

"Tell me the truth. That was a poisoned arrow, was it not?"

"Ho