What a dreadful
thing!"

"Save your sympathy for those who want it, youngster," answered the old
mate. "He was as dead as a door nail. Don't fear that. Jack Shark had
got hold of his heels, and that made the body rise suddenly out of the
water, as you saw him. Well! It will be the lot of more of us before
long. I do not like the look of the weather. I wonder what Mr Noalles
thinks of it." Noalles, however, was unable to speak. The wind was
increasing, and the sea had already got up considerably, making the raft
work in a very unsatisfactory manner. We had the greatest difficulty in
holding on, while the smaller pieces of timber, which had been less
securely lashed to the frame-work, began to part. Still we ran towards
the island, our sail helping us considerably. As the sea increased,
steering became more difficult, while the lower part of the raft was so
completely immersed in the water, that we had the greatest difficulty in
preventing ourselves being washed off, when the foaming seas came
rolling over it. We held on as best we could, by the beckets, which had
been secured to the raft for this purpose. We had all now reason to
dread that we should lose our own lives; for though the raft appeared to
be still approaching the shore, yet so furiously was it tumbled about by
the fast rising seas, that we could with difficulty cling on to it,
while we could scarcely hope that it would hold together. Noalles, as I
have said, had been with Pember and two other men on the platform. A
foam-covered sea came roaring towards us. We all held on to the main
part of the raft. The sea struck it, and before we could make any
effort to secure it, away it was carried, to a considerable distance
from us, with our three shipmates still resting on it. It seemed
surprising that they should not have been washed off. The same sea
carried off one of our number, thus leaving six of us only clinging to
the main part of the raft. At the same moment our mast and sail were
carried away, and we were left at the mercy of the seas. In vain we
endeavoured with the paddles, which we had saved, to get up to the other
raft. It appeared to be receding further and further from us, when
another sea, similar in size to that which had torn it from the main
part, struck it with full force, and hid it from our view. We looked
again. The few fragments of the wreck could alone be seen; but our late
companions had sunk beneath the surface o