box--one which the doctor had had brought on board full of necessaries
for their fishing and collecting trips--had reached the saloon door, but
could get no further.

But what was a box to a man? Jack crept to his father's door, beat upon
it, and then dragged it open to find the berth empty.

"Gone and left me," groaned the lad in his misery and despair. "How
horrible! No; he is making a raft, and will come and fetch me soon.--
Oh!"

He clutched at the door to save himself, for the yacht suddenly made a
dive, and he felt that they were going down into the vast depths of the
sea; but he did not save himself, for the door played him false and
helped to shoot him right across the saloon, and he was brought up by
the door of the doctor's tiny room.

Recovering himself he desperately clutched at the handle, dragged the
door open, and as the yacht prepared for another dive, he shot in
against the berth, punching its occupant heavily in the ribs, and
snatching at the clothes as he held on.

The doctor uttered a deep grunt, but did not stir. "Doctor! doctor!"
panted Jack. "Wake up! Quick! We're sinking."

"Eh? All right!" came in a deep muffled voice. "Oh, wake up, wake up!"
cried Jack. "I can't leave him to drown. Doctor! doctor!"

"All right!" came fiercely, as Jack seized the sleeper by the shoulders.
"Tell 'em--only jus' come abed."

"Doctor! doctor!"

"Tell 'em--give--warm bath--mustard."

"But we're sinking," cried Jack wildly. "Eh? Whose baby is it? What's
matter--Jack? Taken ill?"

"No, no. Quick! Come on deck."

"Just won't," growled the doctor; and he turned his back and uttered a
deep snore.

Jack stared in horror, and then dropped on all fours to crawl to the
foot of the cabin stairs, and fetch help to drag the drowning man on
deck, being fully imbued with the idea that Doctor Instow had taken some
drug in his despair, so that he might be unconscious when the yacht went
down.

In passing he saw that the captain's and the mate's berths were both
empty, and, how he knew not, he crawled up the cabin stairs, looked on
deck, and saw that his father was standing by the weather bulwark, and
the captain close by.

There was the man at the wheel, and a couple more forward in shiny
yellow tarpaulins; and as he gazed at them wildly, there was a thud and
a beautiful curve over of a wave which deluged the deck and splashed the
two men, but they did not stir.

He saw no more then, for the y