--Cap'n Sproul in the stern
roaring abuse at them in a way that drowned the howls of Mr. Butts,
who came peltering down the hill.

But Hiram Look was even more nimble than that protesting seaman.

Before the little craft was fairly under way he plunged into the surf
waist-deep and scrambled over the stern, nearly upsetting the Cap'n
as he rolled in.

And Imogene, the elephant, a faithful and adoring pachyderm, pursued
her lord and master into the sea.

Cap'n Sproul, recovering his balance and resuming his interrupted
invective, was startled by the waving of her trunk above his head,
and his rowers quit work, squealing with terror, for the huge beast
was making evident and desperate attempts to climb on board and join
her fleeing owner. It was a rather complicated crisis even for a
seaman, accustomed to splitting seconds in his battling with
emergencies. An elephant, unusual element in marine considerations,
lent the complication.

But the old sea-dog who had so instantly made himself master of men
now made himself master of the situation, before the anxious Imogene
had got so much as one big foot over the gunwale. He picked up the
late-arriving Jonah, and, in spite of Hiram's kicks and curses,
jettisoned him with a splash that shot spray over the pursuing
elephant and blinded her eyes.

"Row--row, you blue-faced sons of Gehenna, or she'll eat all four
of you!" shrieked the Cap'n; and in that moment of stress they rowed!
Rowed now not because Cap'n Sproul commanded--nor ceased from rowing
because Mr. Butts countermanded. They rowed for their own lives to
escape the ravening beast that had chased them into the sea.

Cap'n Sproul, watching his chance, took a small wave after the
seventh big roller, let it cuff his bow to starboard, and made for
the lee of Cod Lead, rounding the island into the reach. He was safely
away and, gazing into the faces of the Portuguese, he grimly
reflected that for impressed men they seemed fully as glad to be away
as he. They rowed now without further monition, clucking, each to
himself, little prayers for their safe deliverance from the beast.

It was not possible, with safety, to cut across the reach straight
for the main, so the Cap'n quartered his course before the wind and
went swinging down the seas, with little chance of coming soon to
shore, but confident of his seamanship.

But that seamanship was not sufficient to embolden him into an
attempt to dodge a steamer with two ma