kind-hearted skipper who was supporting me,
and cried like a child--I, who thought myself then a man!

Meanwhile, as I found out when I had recovered from my emotion and was
able to stand up and look about me, my shipmates had not been idle in
trying to retrieve the effects of our unfortunate landing; for which the
skipper upbraided his own carelessness, laying the blame on himself, and
saying that he ought to have known better than to have tried to rush the
boat in with such a ground swell on!

The tow-rope of the jolly-boat had been cast-off shortly before we
approached the shore, Captain Billings hailing Mr Macdougall and
telling him to bring her head to the sea, and lay off until we got
ashore; so, there she was, riding in safety, about half a cable's length
out, beyond reach of the surf, while we were tumbling about in it after
the long-boat had upset us so unexpectedly without ceremony.

Mr Macdougall was about to pull in at once, on seeing the
_contretemps_, but the skipper, the moment he fetched the shore, and
before I had gone in after Harmer, had directed him still to keep off
and get a line ready to heave in, as by that means those in the jolly-
boat would not only be able to land in a better way than ourselves, but,
also, some portion of the stores of our boat might be recovered, as well
as the craft itself--the long-boat having only turned over, and still
floating in the midst of the breakers, bobbing up and down bottom
upwards.

This task was now being proceeded with by all hands.

Forming again a line, as when they had dragged Pat Doolan and myself
out--the men holding each other's hands, for they had no rope as yet to
tackle on to--several articles near in shore had been already picked up;
and, now that I was all right again, the skipper at once set about
getting the jolly-boat in, besides trying to secure the long-boat.

Each, amongst other necessary parts of his equipment, had been provided
with a coil of strong half-inch line, in addition to their proper
painters, and on Captain Billings singing out to the first mate, and
telling him what to do, the jolly-boat with her six oars manned was
backed in just beyond reach of the surf. The end of the line, which Mr
Macdougall held ready with a sounding-lead attached to it to make it
swing further, was then hove ashore.

It fell short, some ten feet out in the midst of the eddy caused by the
backwash, but the leading hand of the long-boat's crew, afte