bout it, Larry," I said; "but take care you catch
hold of one rope before you let go of the other," said I, giving him the
same advice which I had myself received.

"Shure I'll be after doing that same, Misther Terence," he answered, as,
following the example of the other men, he sprang into the rigging. I
watched him going up as long as I could, and he seemed to be getting on
capitally, exactly imitating the movements of the other men.

A day or two afterwards we were all on deck, the men exercising in
reefing and furling sails. The new hands were ordered to lay out on the
yards, and a few of the older ones to show them what to do. Larry
obeyed with alacrity; no one would have supposed that he had been only a
few times before aloft. I had to return to the quarter-deck, where I
was standing with Tom Pim, and we were remarking the activity displayed
by the men. I saw Larry on the starboard fore-topsail yard-arm, and had
just left Tom, being sent with a message to the gun-room, when, as my
head was flush with the hatchway, I saw an object drop from the yard-arm
into the water. It looked more like a large ball falling than a human
being, and it didn't occur to me that it was the latter until I heard
the cry of "Man overboard!" Hastening up again, I sprang into the
mizzen rigging, from which, just before I got there, Tom Pim had plunged
off into the water. It was ebb tide, and a strong current was running
out of the river Lee past the ship. The man who had fallen had not
sunk, but was fast drifting astern, and seemed unconscious, for he was
not struggling, lying like a log on the water. Tom Pim, with rapid
strokes, was swimming after him. I heard the order given to lower a
boat. Though not a great swimmer, I was about to follow Tom to try and
help him, when a strong arm held me back.

"Are you a good swimmer, youngster?" asked the first lieutenant, the
person who had seized hold of me.

"Not very," I answered.

"Then stay aboard, or we shall be having to pick you up instead of
saving the man who fell overboard. I know Pim well; he'll take care of
himself."

Saying this, the lieutenant stepped in on deck again, taking me with
him. While he superintended the lowering of the boat, I ran aft, and
watched Tom and the drowning man. Just then I caught sight of the
countenance of the latter, and to my dismay, I saw that he was no other
than Larry Harrigan. The boats usually employed were away, and the one
now