the
black had been hurled upon the deck, rose to his knees holding a
wrenched arm.

"He'll be drowned now," growled the man; "and sarve him right. He's as
strong as a hox."

Mark saw the white-clothed figure strike the surface with a heavy
plunge, and go down, make a carve of light beneath the water, and rise
again to shake his black head and strike out for the open sea before
him, insensible for the moment to everything but the idea of getting
away. He, poor fellow, in his blind ignorance, knew no more, but before
he had taken many strokes there was a wild gurgling shriek behind him,
as the sailor's head appeared, and the black stopped, turned, and swam
back in time to seize the drowning man and hold him up just as he was
dragged under again, the boat which had just kissed the water being
still far-away, the _Nautilus_ having glided on.

The natural result was that as the fish gave its fierce jerking tug, and
the black held on to the sailor, both were dragged under; but grasping
the difficulty, the black seized the line and made a desperate snatch at
it, with sufficient strength to detach the grains, and they both rose
again, with the rescuer swimming strongly, the rescued half drowned,
helpless and unable to raise a hand to save himself.

"Hold on! Coming! Swim this way," shouted the officer in charge of the
boat; and as Mark looked aft at the actors in this scene, all growing
more distant moment by moment, he heard Bob Howlett's shrill voice
plainly in spite of the distance,--"Hold on, Soup. Coming."

The words sounded incongruous--ridiculous--but the voice influenced the
black, who turned and swam slowly toward them, trying to support his
charge.

"Can you see, Vandean?" said Mr Russell, who had crept to the bulwarks
and stood beside the midshipman.

"Yes, but how slow the boat is."

"They are keeping afloat, then--swimming?"

"I think one of them is," said Mark in a whisper.

"Hah!" sighed the young lieutenant, "my eyes are dim and weak. How near
is the boat now?"

"Oh, it must be fifty yards away, and they're going down. The men don't
try."

"It seems so to us, but they must be rowing their best. Are they
getting near now?"

"I don't think so, and--and I can't see anybody. Oh! how horrible.
Pull, pull!"

"Hush?" said Russell. "I can't see, but the boat must be between us and
the men. How was it all?"

"I don't quite understand, but the black seemed to try and save the man
overboard