oared the lieutenant
as he climbed up there himself. "Steady, my lads, he can't be far."

At that moment there was a flash, and a brilliant blue-light burst out
on the surface of the black water, sending a glare all round from where
it floated on the trigger life-buoy, which had been detached and glided
away astern, while directly after a second blue-light blazed out from
the stern of the boat, showing the men dipping their oars lightly, and
two forward and two astern shading their eyes and scanning the flashing
and sparkling water.

"Can't you see him?" roared the lieutenant.

"No, sir."

We leaped downward, hurried right aft where the captain and the other
officers were now gathered, and the orders were given for a second boat
to be lowered and help to save the poor fellow.

"He ought to float, sir," said Mr Reardon in answer to some remark from
the captain. "He's fat enough."

Then he began shouting orders to the men to row to and fro; and my heart
sank as I vainly searched the lit-up water, for there was no sign of the
unfortunate Chinaman.

"What a horrible ending to a practical joke!" I thought, and a bitter
feeling of disappointment assailed me, as I asked myself why I had not
gone in the second boat to help save the poor fellow.

Perhaps it was vanity, but in those exciting moments I felt that if I
had been there I might have seen him, for it never occurred to me that I
had a far better chance of seeing him from my post of vantage high up on
that quarter-deck rail.

"See him yet?"

"No, sir!"--"No, sir!"

The first hail loudly from close by, the other from far away where the
blue-lights shone.

"Bless my soul!" cried Mr Reardon, with an angry stamp. "I can't
understand it. He must have come up again."

"Unless his pockets were heavily laden," said the captain, going to
where Mr Reardon stood. "These men carry a great deal about them under
their long loose clothes. Some heavy copper money, perhaps. A very
little would be enough to keep a struggling man down."

"Ha!" ejaculated Mr Reardon, while I shivered at the idea of poor old
Ching coming to so terrible an end.

"A glass here!" cried Mr Reardon, and one was handed up to him.

"Try the life-buoy," cried the captain.

"Bless me, sir, I was going to," retorted the lieutenant irritably; "but
the idiot who uses this glass ought to be turned out of the service for
being short-sighted. I shall never get it to the right focus."

The ca