ighting mood, astonished Mayo. The thought
came to him that this man had been pricked to conflict by bitter grudge
instead of by his courage.

"Look here, Bradish, aren't you going to help me save that girl?"

"I'm not a sailor. There's nothing I can do."

"But you've got two hands, man. I want to get a boat overboard. Hurry!"

"No, no! I wouldn't get into a small boat with these waves so high. It
wouldn't be safe."

"This schooner is sinking!" shouted Mayo. He fastened a heavy clutch
upon Bradish's shoulders. "There's no time to argue this thing. You come
along!"

He hauled Bradish to his feet and propelled him to the companionway,
and the man went without resistance. It was evident that real danger and
fear of death had nearly paralyzed him.

"There's nothing I can do!" he kept bleating.

But Mayo hurried him forward.

"Ralph!" cried the girl, fairly lashing him with the tone in which she
delivered the word. "What is the matter with you?"

"There's nothing I can do. It isn't safe out here."

"You must do what this man tells you to do. He knows."

But Bradish clung to the gunwale of the long-boat and stared out at the
yeasty waves, blinking his eyes.

"If I only had a couple of men instead of these two infernal tapeworms,"
raged Mayo, "I could reeve tackle and get this boat over. Wake up! Wake
up!" he clamored, beating his fist on Bradish's back.

"Ralph! Be a man!" There were anger, protest, shocked wonder in her
tones.

Suddenly Mayo saw an ominous sight and heard a boding sound. The
fore-hatch burst open with a mighty report, forced up by the air
compressed by the inflowing water. He wasted no more breath in argument
and appeals. He realized that even an able crew would not have time to
launch the boat. The schooner was near her doom.

In all haste he pulled his clasp-knife and cut the lashings which held
the boat in its chocks. That the craft would be driven free from the
entangling wreckage and go afloat when the schooner went under he could
hardly hope. But there was only this desperate chance to rely upon in
the emergency.

In his agony of despair and his fury of resentment he was tempted to
climb into the boat and leave the two cowards to their fate. But he
stooped, caught Bradish by the legs and boosted him over the gunwale
into the yawl. A sailor's impulse is to save life even at the risk of
his own. Mayo ran to the galley and kicked the cook off the stool and
then drove him headlong to