starboard gig,
cast off her lashings, and get her ready for rousing off the gallows and
into the water."

The gig which had been hanging at the davits ever since the _Aurora_
cleared out of the docks at London, had been destroyed when the ship was
thrown on her beam-ends in the hurricane; and the men had been so busy
on apparently more important duties that they had had no opportunity of
getting another boat ready for service; hence there was now a
considerable amount of delay in the launching of the boat which George
intended to despatch in search of the swimmer.

Mr Bowen soon returned to the deck with the muskets, and handing one to
George and retaining the other himself, they fired them one after the
other in rapid succession, hoping by this means to attract the
unfortunate man's attention and show him that help was near.

George then sprang into the mizzen-rigging and looked anxiously out over
the glittering surface of the sea, in the effort to catch a glimpse of
the man, should he happen to be still above water. It was not, however,
until the _Aurora_ was fairly crossing the wake of the burning ship--
which by this time had drifted a considerable distance to leeward--that
he was successful. Then, indeed, he did for an instant detect a small
dark object on the crest of a sea, standing out in bold relief against
the bright ruddy reflection of the flames in the water beyond it.
Almost at the instant that he caught sight of it, he lost it again as it
disappeared in the hollow of the swell, then once more it rose into
view, clearly and unmistakably the head of a man.

"All right, I see him," he exclaimed. "Now then, Mr Bowen, is the boat
ready? I am going to that poor fellow's assistance, so back the
main-topsail, if you please, and send the boat after us as quickly as
you can."

As the last words left George's mouth his hands rose above his head, his
body curved itself over towards the water, and in an instant he shot
downward out of the rigging swiftly as a sea-bird making its swoop, and
entered the water without a splash.

On coming to the surface, Captain Leicester struck vigorously out at
once in the direction of the burning ship, knowing that the man he
sought was exactly in line with her, but that he would probably not see
him until he was close upon him. He swam steadily on, not hurrying
himself, but husbanding his strength as much as possible, and in about
ten minutes he caught sight of the object