igging vibrate.

Both Mr Macdougall and the skipper looked aloft, impelled by the same
instinct, as they stood aft, the mate close to the taffrail; when, at
that instant, the spanker boom swinging round, the lee sheet--not being
hauled taut--caught the mate athwart his chest and swept him
incontinently over the side!

I was on the opposite side of the deck, witnessing with much
satisfaction the mode in which he and the skipper had made up their
differences, the feud having lasted for over a fortnight; but, on seeing
the accident, was for a moment horror-struck.

However, I soon recovered myself.

"Man overboard!" I shouted out, with all the power of my lungs; and
then, without hesitation, I plunged after Mr Macdougall into the sea.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

ON FIRE IN THE HOLD!

The wind had dropped to a calm, as I've mentioned, just before this; but
the sea was still running high, with those heavy waves that get up in a
moment in the lower latitudes as soon as it begins to blow. But I never
thought of this when I plunged in to the mate's rescue.

When I was at Dr Hellyer's, the only two things I ever really learnt
that were of any use to me in my after-life were, a substantial
grounding in mathematics--thanks to "Smiley"--which subsequently made
the study of navigation easy to me when Sam Pengelly put me under charge
of a tutor; and, secondly, the art of swimming, the place where the
school was situated and the practice of taking out the boys on the beach
for the purpose every day, offering great facilities to any one with the
least aptitude for taking to the water and possessed of a desire to
learn how to support himself in it.

Now, therefore, I found the second of these acquirements to stand me in
good stead--the consciousness of knowing how to swim, not only giving me
the courage to leap over the vessel's side after the unfortunate man,
but also enabling me to decide what to do when I found myself battling
with the waves on my errand of succour.

The _Esmeralda's_ quarter was a good height from the sea level; so, on
my diving off, what with this and the impetus of my leap, I went
considerably below the surface, coming up panting for breath some
distance away from the ship, which, having still a little way on her,
besides offering a considerable surface of hull for the waves to act
upon, was drifting further and further off each instant.

I had no concern about this, though, the only impression on my mi