also, strange as it may seem, to
think about old Surley, and to hope that he had not been washed
overboard, for unwisely he had followed us on deck. Very soon we were
satisfied that the captain was safe, for we heard him issuing orders in
a clear voice which sounded high above the gale. Directly afterwards
Cousin Silas passed us on his way forward, to get the fore-stay-sail on
the ship, to bring her head round.

"If that does not do, what will happen?" I asked of Jerry.

"We shall have to cut away the mizzen-mast and the main-mast too," he
answered. "Pleasant, won't it be?" I hoped that we should not be
driven to this alternative. As soon as the captain had given the
necessary orders for the safety of the ship, we heard him telling Ben
Yool to go and look for us.

"They be safe enough, sir," was the answer. "I see'd them after the
squall."

"Ay, ay, father, we are all right here," sung out Jerry. How high and
shrill his voice sounded amid the roar of the tempest! By this time the
sail was hoisted, the helm was put up--the ship's head rose and fell,
and rose again. At length the canvas felt the force of the wind.

"Hurrah! hurrah!" was shouted fore and aft. Slowly round came her
head--the helm was righted. The fore-staysail was quickly hauled down
again, or the next squall would have taken it out of the bolt-ropes, and
away we flew under bare poles--now plunging headlong into the deep
valleys before us, our stern lifted high up above the seas--now climbing
the opposite side of the watery hill, the wave following us as it came
up, vast and indistinct in the gloom of night, looking as if it must
overwhelm us.

"But what has become of old Surley?" I asked of Jerry, when we had time
to draw our breath a little more freely. "Can the dear old fellow be
washed overboard?"

"I hope not; perhaps he didn't like the look of things on deck, and
skulked down below again," answered Jerry. "Let us go and look for
him."

This was no easy work, in the way the ship was pitching and tumbling
about, and not without considerable risk; but on that point we did not
very much trouble our heads. Old Surley was always ready to fight for
us; and had we thought about the matter, we should have been ready to go
through any amount of danger for his sake. Letting go our hold,
therefore, away we crawled, grasping at anything we could reach, to
prevent ourselves from being rolled away to leeward. At last we reached
the fore