he companion-ladder shooting
me with his head on deck again. I looked round expecting to see many of
the crew killed. My eye first fell on Mr Blyth, who was holding on by
a stanchion, and apparently uninjured. The second mate, too, excepting
a blow on the shoulder, had escaped, while of the crew, though they
looked very much astonished, not a man was seriously hurt. Several of
them, indeed, who had been below, had only rushed up on hearing the
crash of the falling masts. They were gazing with open eyes on the
utterly dismantled state of the brig, lately so taunt and trim, waiting
for the captain's orders what to do. But what had become of him? He
was nowhere to be seen. At first I feared that he had been knocked
overboard, but as I looked about I caught sight of a man's legs sticking
out from under a mass of sails and rigging. Knowing that it must be the
captain, I ran to drag him out, calling on Blyth to assist me.

We soon got him free, but he did not move; we feared that he was dead.
At Blyth's suggestion, with the help of two of the men, we carried him
below and placed him on his bed.

Greatly to our relief he in a short time began to show signs of life.

"He will soon come round," said Blyth; "I will watch him, so do you go
on deck, Harry, where I am sure you will be wanted, and tell the first
mate how he is getting on."

I hurried up, and reported the captain's state to my uncle.

"Thank heaven!" he exclaimed; "I had no wish to take his place, but I
must attend to the work before us--we have plenty of it."

He then turned round to the bewildered crew--

"We must first haul in all the gear trailing overboard, my lads, and
then get up jury-masts," he shouted out, hurrying along the deck to
examine the state of things forward.

Having got the spars and rigging on board, we commenced unbending the
sails and unreefing and coiling away the ropes. As we got the yards
free we stowed them amidships, that we might use those of them which
were most suitable for jury-masts. The wind had in the meantime been
increasing, and the sea was getting up. All we could do was to keep the
vessel before it, while we laboured hard to rig a jury-mast forward that
we might, as soon as possible, get sail on the brig to steady her. She
was now rolling fearfully, and it was with difficulty even that we could
keep our feet. I looked out more than once in the direction where I had
seen the prahus, fearing that should they d