, hastily. "How
could you do such a fearfully dangerous thing?"

Roylance smiled feebly and pointed down at the boat, which was yielding
slowly to the drag kept on it by the men.

"That may be the means of saving our lives," he said.

"Are you going to leave those other two poor fellows to fall off the
rock as food for the sharks, Mr Belton?" said Terry, who had been put
out of temper by the action of the men.

"I think you can answer that question yourself, Mr Terry," said
Roylance, flushing up angrily.

Syd made no reply, but quietly gave his orders.

"Mr Roylance," he said, "are you well enough to take charge of the men
here, as they haul the boat along, while I go and see to the bo'sun and
Rogers being got up the cliff?"

"Well enough? yes," cried Roylance, upon whom the short encounter with
Terry had acted like a stimulus.

Terry turned pale with rage at being passed over, and he followed Syd
and four of the men as they hurried along with the rope set at liberty
coiled up.

It was with no little anxiety that the party approached the spot where
Rogers had gone down, while Terry, who had expressed so much interest in
the fate of the two men, oddly enough hung behind.

Syd was the first to reach the place, and looked over to be greeted by
Rogers with a hail.

"Is Mr Strake all right?"

"Ay, ay, sir; all but my bark," said the boatswain. "Don't say, sir, as
you haven't got Mr Roylance off the boat."

"Got him off, Strake, and they're towing the boat along."

"Hurrah!" shouted the two men, whose position in an indentation of the
rock line had prevented them from seeing what was going on.

The rope was lowered down with the loop all ready, and Strake was hauled
up first, his appearance over the side being greeted with a cheer, and
plenty of hands were ready to help him into a sitting position, for it
was evident that he could not lift one leg.

"Never mind me, my lads," he said, quietly. "Get Rogers on deck first."

This was soon effected, the smart young sailor displaying an activity as
he scrambled over the edge of the rocks that contrasted strangely with
the boatswain's limp.

"Now, Strake," said Syd, as soon as he had seen Rogers safe, "are you
hurt?"

"Hurt, sir? Did you say hurt?"

"Yes, yes, man."

"Well, I s'pose I am, sir, for I feels as if I'd got a big sore place
spread all over me. Mussy me, sir, that's about the hardest rocks to
fall on as ever was."

"But no bones broken?"