fully; and Mark sat with one leg
in and one leg out of the window gazing at his father as he stood there,
his fine, manly face thrown up for a moment by the glow which shone
through a hole in the door as a puff of wind set in through the open
stern and wafted back the smoke which seemed to settle down directly.

"Well," said the major, speaking as coolly as if he were on parade,
"shall I go first?"

"I was thinking, major. I can't do it. It seems like breaking my
pledges, and acting dishonourably to the owners of the ship to leave
her."

"My dear Strong," said the major, clapping him on the shoulder, "the
more I know of you the more I regret that you took to the sea."

"My dear sir," said Captain Strong angrily, "is this a time for
compliments?"

"It was meant sincerely," replied the major; "but let me point out to
you that however painful this may be to you we must go now."

"Why?" said the captain. "The Malay scoundrels are escaping to their
praus."

"Yes, there is no doubt of that."

"Then it is my duty to call back my men, and attack the flames."

"Now, my dear Strong, even if we had the whole crew instead of half a
dozen men, all more or less wounded," said the major, "you know as well
as I do that we could not master a fire like this. Look out of the
window yonder, how the sea is lit up, and then through that hole; why,
the mainmast and rigging must be all in a blaze!"

"Yes," said the captain, as if to himself, "from deck to truck, and the
burning pitch falling in a fiery rain. But if we could master the
flames, now the enemy are gone--"

"They would be waiting close at hand to come back and take possession,
my dear sir. Come, Strong, you've done your duty to everyone; it is now
time to save life."

"I cannot go," cried the captain fiercely. "I must have one try first."

He ran to the barricade, closely followed by the major, to see that the
deck had become quite a furnace, the waves of fire running upward, and
seeming to be borne here and there by the strong current of air which
the heat produced, and which now swept through the saloon, clearing it
of the smoke and rushing out of the jagged openings to fan the flames.

The captain stood gazing through for a few minutes without speaking, and
then turned sadly away.

"It would be impossible," he said.

"Is anything wrong?" came in a whisper from the boat to Mark.

"No, no," he whispered back; "they are coming directly."

"Yes, impossi