boxes wid the ship's gold an' papers, I take it; an' a
medicine-chest, by the smell o' it; an' an entire case o' brandy, by
Garge! Sure, Nick, it bes no wonder he got off his course! Take another
suck at the bottle, Nick, an' then get overside wid ye an' pass out
these boxes."

Nick was still deriving warmth from the bottle when a third man entered
the state-room, with just his head and neck above water.

"She bes down by the starn desperate, skipper," he said. "Saints
presarve me, I bes ice to the bones!"

At a word from the skipper, the last arrival took the bottle from Leary.
Others reached the scene of action and the three iron boxes and the case
of brandy were soon safe on deck. From there they were winched up to
the top of the cliff.

"We'll break into the lazaret when the tide bes out," said the skipper.
"She'll drain out, ye can lay to that, wid a hole in her as big as the
roof o' a house."

They salvaged a few cases of tinned provisions from the steward's
pantry. Five state-rooms were situated on either side of the main or
outer cabins. They looted those to port first, where the water was only
a few feet deep, finding little but clothing and bedding and one leather
purse containing thirty pounds in gold. The skipper put the purse into a
submerged pocket, and sent the other stuff to the deck, to be winched
aloft. The cabins on the starboard side contained but little of value. A
few leather boxes and bags were sent up unopened. The water was still
shoulder-deep to starboard. The door of the fifth room on the starboard
side was fastened. The skipper pulled and jerked at it, then lowered his
head beneath the water, and saw that it was locked on the inside. But
the lock was a light one, and the wood of the door was not heavy. He
called for a capstan-bar; and in spite of the fact that he had to strike
blindly under several feet of water, the lock was soon shattered. By
this time, a dozen men were clustered around, their curiosity and greed
uncooled by the cold water to their shoulders.

"There bes somethin' wort' salvin' in there, ye kin lay to that!" said
one.

"The passengers' store-room, I bes a-t'inkin'," said another.

"Naught but the sail-locker," said a third. "D'ye look to find gold an'
dimins in every blessed corner o' every blessed ship?"

At that moment the skipper pulled the narrow door open to its full
extent. The water inside swirled out to fill the eddy made by the
opening of the door; and