ce that Job was
cowed. He sat down and obeyed.

The boat was very small, and might have been easily pulled by so strong
a crew in ordinary circumstances; but the strength of wind and sea
together was so great, that they were in great danger of being swamped,
and it required their utmost efforts to pull a few yards to windward of
the schooner.

"Now then, look out!" cried Jim, endeavouring to turn the boat.

As he said this a wave caught its side and upset it. The men uttered a
loud cry; a moment later, and they were swept against the bow of the
"Butterfly." Tommy had sprung to the side, caught up a rope, and cast
it over. Bunks did not see it; he made a wild grasp at the smooth wet
side of the vessel, but his hands found nothing to lay hold of, and he
was carried quickly away to leeward. Jim caught the rope, but was
brought up so suddenly by it that it was torn from his grasp. He also
went to leeward and perished.

Job had caught hold of the cutwater, and, digging his fingers into the
wood, held on by main strength for a few minutes.

"Here, lay hold o' the rope," cried Tommy, whose only desire now was to
save the life of the wretched man; "there, don't you feel it?"

He had rubbed the rope against Job's face in order to let him know it
was there, but the man seemed to have lost all power to move. He simply
maintained his death-grip until his strength gave way. Tommy understood
his case, and looked quickly round for one of those ring-shaped
lifebuoys which we are accustomed to see in our passenger steamers tied
up so securely that they would in most cases of sudden emergency be
utterly useless. But the owners of the "Butterfly" were economists.
They did not think life-preserving worth the expenditure of a few
shillings, so there was no lifebuoy to be found. There was a round cork
fender, however, which the boy seized and flung into the sea, just as
Job's grasp loosened. He uttered a wild shriek, and tossed up his arms
imploringly, as he was carried away. The buoy fell close beside him,
and he caught it. But it was scarce sufficient to sustain his weight,
and merely prolonged the agonising struggle. Tommy soon lost sight of
him in the darkness. Soon after there arose a wild fierce cry, so loud
and strong that it seemed to have been uttered at the boy's elbow.
Tommy shuddered, for it suggested the idea of a despairing soul.

He listened intently, and twice again that thrilling cry broke on his
ear,