ey, and that, I see, is gone, together with
everything else that was on deck."

"Yes," said Cunningham, "it went, I think, with the first sea that broke
aboard us when we struck the reef. And I don't know what has become of
the others. I seem to remember having seen two figures emerge from the
companion way while I was busy with Murdock here, but I don't know what
became of them. I wonder whether we could do anything for the
boatswain--the sea is no longer breaking aboard, and--"

"Yes, of course," said I. "Where is he? We can at least discover
whether or not he is alive."

"Here he is, among all this raffle," answered Cunningham. "The first
thing, I suppose, will be to get him clear of it, and then--"

"Well, I am afraid that is about all that we can do for him at present,"
said I, as I moved across the sluggishly rolling deck toward Cunningham.
I stooped beside him, and at his direction lifted the tangle of rigging
beneath which the boatswain was lying, while he proceeded to cast off
the lashings that had saved the inert body from being washed overboard.
Then between us we dragged the man out to a clear spot on the deck,
where Cunningham knelt, supporting the head and shoulders, while I tore
open the front of the thin vest and laid my hand upon the broad, hairy
chest. The heart was beating, although but feebly; yet as Cunningham
continued to support the man in a sitting position the beats gradually
became stronger, and presently, with a groan, consciousness returned,
and, heaving himself over on his side, with an ejaculation, poor Murdock
began to vomit violently, as Cunningham had done, having evidently, like
him, swallowed a great quantity of salt water. For perhaps five minutes
the paroxysm continued with severity; then, having rid himself of most
of the salt water, the man, between groans, began to ask where he was,
and then, as memory returned, informed us that he had received a violent
blow on the top of the head which had knocked the senses out of him.
Fortunately there was no wound; and after a while the boatswain was able
to sit up unassisted, with his back against the stump of the mainmast.
And then, having placed him in a tolerably comfortable position, we were
free again to take cognisance of things in general, when we became aware
of the fact that the schooner, although still rolling heavily with the
movement of the water about her, had taken the ground; and upon looking
away to leeward I thoug