r
master will need to wait for his type. Come and stand by me here, for
there is nothing else to be done for the brave ship now. I would have
liked to save her for the sake of one who once stood at this very helm.
But it seems to me we are near our last plunge."

"Perhaps," said I, "God has not done with us yet, and those who pray for
us pray not in vain."

Here the _Misericorde_ reeled upwards on a huge wave. For a moment she
hung quivering on the top, and then plunged into the trough.

I felt Ludar's hand on my arm, and caught sight of his face, steady and
stern, with a flash in his eyes as he looked ahead. He was right. It
was the _Misericorde's_ last plunge; for, instead of righting herself,
she seemed entangled in the water, and, like one who writhes to get
free, heeled half over on her side. Then, before she could recover, up
came the next wave, towering high over our heads, and fell like a
mountain upon us.

The next thing I was aware of was that I was clinging to a spar in the
water, with a strong arm around me, and a voice in my ear:

"Hold on, hold on!"

Then, when I opened my eyes, I saw Ludar and some floating timbers, and
nothing more.

But towards one of these timbers he was striking out desperately, which
proved to be a small boat, bottom uppermost, which had lain on the deck,
and which having been wrenched from its cords, had floated free of the
wreck. Between us we reached it, and, with much labour, turned it over.
It had neither oars nor sail. Yet, as we clung to it, we could see it
was sound of bottom, and would at least hold the two of us.

How we got in, I know not; yet, I think, between two waves, Ludar
steadied it while I got in, and then between the next two, I hauled him
in. At first, it seemed, in this cockleshell, we were little better off
than clinging to the spar, for every wave threatened to swamp it. Yet
by God's mercy it carried us somehow.

Not a sign could we see of any of our late shipmates. Only once, a
body, clutching at a board, even in death, crossed us. And when we
reached out and hauled it to, it was one of the sailors, not drowned,
but with his skull broken.

Presently, as I said, the waves grew less, and drifted us we knew not
whither, save that it was far from where we had gone down, with no land
or sun in view, nothing but a howling waste of waves, and we two at its
mercy.

Ludar and I looked at one another grimly. It was no time for talking or
won