ar to have tolerably
good eyes--"

"Main-top, there," interrupted Potter, "are you coming down out of that,
or aren't you? If you're not, say the word, and I'll come up myself and
start the lot of you."

"For the Lord's sake, sir, go down, I beg ye; or there'll be something
like murder up here in a brace of shakes, if the skipper keeps his
word," exclaimed Tom, in accents of consternation.

"Leave your skipper to me; I will undertake to keep him in order if he
is ill-advised enough to come up here. Now," he resumed, turning again
to Bill, "you seem to have reasonably good eyes. Look carefully at that
wreckage, and tell me whether you can see anything having the appearance
of a man waving a shirt, or something of the kind."

The man looked long and intently, gazing out under the sharp of his
hand; and presently he turned to Leslie and said--

"Upon my word, sir, I do believe you're right; there _do_ seem to be
something a wavin' over there--"

The sharp crack of a pistol and the whistle of a ballet close past them
interrupted the man's speech; and, looking down, they saw Potter
standing aft near the lashed wheel with a smoking revolver in his hand,
which he still pointed threateningly at the top.

The two men, without another word, flung themselves simultaneously over
the edge of the top and made their way precipitately down the rigging,
while Leslie, swinging himself on to the topmast-backstay, slid lightly
down it, reaching the deck some seconds ahead of them. He alighted
close alongside Miss Trevor, who, with her hands clutched tightly
together, stood, the image of terror, gazing with horrified eyes at the
skipper.

In two bounds Leslie reached Potter's side.

"You scoundrel! you infernal scoundrel!" he exclaimed, as with one hand
he wrenched away the revolver, while with the other he seized the fellow
by the throat and shook him savagely. "What do you mean by such
infamous conduct? Do you realise that you might have killed one of us?
Have you gone mad; or what is the matter with you? Answer me, quick, or
I will choke the life out of you!"

And, with a final shake that went near to dislocating Potter's neck,
Leslie flung the fellow furiously from him, dashing him against the rail
with such violence that, after staggering stupidly for a moment, he sank
to the deck, sitting there in a dazed condition.

The mate and three or four of the crew came running aft at this
juncture, with some indefinite ide