during
the night, and when the fog lifted I suppose they set the lug and
sailed 'fore the wind as the easiest and fastest way to sail.

"But another sight met my eyes! Over to the east about fifty yards was
the stern of the ship, taffrail and cabin out, and the mizzentop and
topmast. She was just hung there, canted to an angle of forty-five, and
ready to slide down with the first shift of a sea. And there was where
that clock was, high and dry in the cabin! The tide had reached my
shoulders by now, and perhaps this was what did the job; for I suppose
there was some air in that wreck, and when an extra heavy pulse of the
ground swell came along, there was a slight wrenching sound, as though
the sternpost had carried away; then, with a very little flurry, the
stern and mizzen sank out of sight.

"But up into the froth and the bubbles caused by the plunge came the
red head, anxious face, and big shoulders of Macklin. He sighted me,
and came on, breasting the water with all the vigor of a strong man in
good form, and with a new look in his face that meant trouble for me. I
looked for the boat; but the fog had thickened again, blotting her out.

"'What you got there?' he demanded, as he puffed up close to me.

"'Rock bottom,' I answered. 'Keep off! There's room for only one.'

"'And that one is me!'

"I squared myself as I could, with my bad right hand tucked into my
shirt out of the way, and my legs as far apart as I could get them. I
struck at him, and pushed him under; but the reacting force of the blow
sent me backward, and then it was a mad scramble under water to get my
foothold again. Macklin came up, saw me, and swam under water until he
had reached my legs; then he hove me off and took my place.

"But he wasn't used to the push of the current, and the next moment he
was off and swimming again, while I was on, breasting the current, and
waiting for him. He came back under water again; but this time I met
him with a kick that sent him so far down as to give me hope he would
stay there; but he didn't. He came up, swam around to the south, came
down with the current, and brushed me off. I did the same; but he met
me with his feet, and I drifted by. However, I had him by the leg with
my one good hand, and he came with me. We swam, side by side; but he
beat me, and scrambled to his feet on the small spur of rock that meant
life to each of us, but not to both. I swam weakly around to the south,
and then down on him