htening and a strengthening of the song of the
wind in the rigging, and the thumping of upper spars, jolted clear of
their fastenings by the shock. Looking out, Murphy saw that the
topgallantmasts, with their yards, were hanging by their gear,
threatening to fall at any heave of the ship on her rocky bed. And he
saw that the beach was not a hundred yards distant. Also, that the crew
was flocking forward.

"Let us out of here," he called, as they came within hearing. "What
more do ye want, ye bogtrotters? Ye've wrecked the man's boat, but d'ye
want to kill us?"

"Yis," they chorused. "Why not, ye divils? Ye've nearly killed us all,
dom yez. No mate, no whusky, no money. Tell us the road to Galway."

"An' the road to Limerick," said another. "An' whin do we git paid
aff?"

"I'll have ye in jail, ye hyeenas," said Murphy. "That's yer pay, and
that's the road to Galway and Limerick. Wait till the coast guard comes
along. They'll git ye."

He drew back to avoid a brick that threatened to enter the deadlight,
and the conversation ended.

Meanwhile the ship was slowly swinging around broadside to the beach.
She was too high out of water for the seas to board her, though they
pounded her weather side with deafening noise, and with each impact she
was lifted shoreward a few feet more. Finally the crashings ceased, and
they knew that, with water in the hold, she had gone as high as the
seas could drive her. Then, with the going down of the tide, the heavy
poundings of the sea grew less and the voices of the crew on the
forecastle deck more audible.

"Can we make it in three jumps, Terrence?" they heard.

"No, ye fule. The wather's goin' down. Howld yer whist."

Murphy, looking out through the deadlight, could see nothing of the
water between the ship and the beach; but far down to the south he
discerned a team of horses dragging a wagon holding a boat, and this he
explained to the skipper.

"The coast guard," explained the latter. "God grant that they get here
before that bunch gets away. English law is severe upon mutineers."

But in this Captain Williams was doomed to disappointment. The coast
guard arrived in time and released them. But before this each man of
the twenty-four had passed before the open deadlight, derided and
jeered the unlucky prisoners, called them unprintable names, and slid
down the side on a rope to dry land.

Murphy looked at them climbing the hills inland, their whoops and yells
coming ba