eted only as the end of things. Then his head came out
into the blessed air and he gulped what he could, though half of it was
water.

The _Karluk_ was into the wind and they were in what little lee there
was, dragging aft at the end of the halyards, being fetched in toward
the rail by the mighty tugs of Lund, a weird sight to Rainey's smarting
eyes as he caught sight of the giant, with red hair uncovered, his beard
whipping in the wind, his black glasses still in place, making some sort
of a blessed monster out of him.

Rainey had his left fist welded to the line, his right was set in
Sandy's collar, and Sandy's death clutch had twined itself into Rainey's
oilskins, though the lad was limp, and his face, seen through the watery
film that streamed over it, set and white.

A dozen arms shot down to grasp him. He felt the iron grip of Lund upon
his left forearm, almost wrenching his arm from its socket as he was
inhauled, caught at by body and legs and deposited on the deck of the
schooner, that almost instantly commenced to go about upon its former
course. Again he heard the bellow of the blind giant, as if it had been
a continuation of the order shouted as he had gone overboard.

"Ba-ack that jib to win'ard! Ba-ck it, you swabs!"

The _Karluk_ came about more smartly this time, swinging on the upheaval
of a wave and rushing off with ever-increasing speed. Lund bent over
him, asking him with a note that Rainey, for all his exhaustion,
interpreted as one of real anxiety:

"How is it with you, matey? Did ye git lunged up?"

Rainey managed to shake his head and, with Lund's boughlike arm for
support, got to his feet, winded, shaken, aching from his pounding and
the crash against the whale.

"Good man!" cried Lund, thwacking him on the shoulder and holding him up
as Rainey nearly collapsed under the friendly accolade.

Sandy was lying face down, one hunter kneeling across him, kneading his
ribs to bellows action, lifting his upper body in time to the pressure,
while another worked his slack arms up and down.

"I tank he's gone," said Hansen. "Swallowed a tubful."

"That was splendid, Mr. Rainey! Wonderful! It was brave of you!"

Peggy Simms stood before Rainey, clinging to the mainstays, a different
girl to the one that he had known. Her red lips were apart, showing the
clean shine of her teeth, above her glowing cheeks her gray eyes
sparkled with friendly admiration, one slender wet hand was held out
eagerly t