orward!"

The man went away, and Mark felt that his time had come. He might be
able to make the rope fast after all, without being heard by the man at
the wheel.

He could hardly believe in his good fortune, for just as the fellow
Jeffs went forward, the helmsman began to hum over some sea-song, pretty
loudly, to amuse himself; while he held his hand below his eyes and
gazed over it forward, to see what was going on, and why his companion
had been summoned.

He was still occupied in this way when Mark gave the line the signal
tugs, and crept sidewise into the shelter of the bulwark, where all was
perfectly black.

There he crouched dirk in hand, listening to the beating of his heart,
and the peculiar dull sound made by the line as it tightened, and this
was supplemented by a crack or two as it gave over the wood across which
it was strained.

The man at the wheel was so intent upon his song, and that which was
going on forward, that he did not notice the sounds which were terribly
loud to the midshipman's ear, till Tom Fillot had climbed up, was about
to throw his legs over, but slipped.

The noise he made in his slip was slight in the extreme, but
unfortunately he uttered a sharp ejaculation as he saved himself from
going down. The helmsman looked round, uttered a shout of warning, and
picked up a heavy cudgel lying by him on the deck.

Tom Fillot leaped forward, then back, and shouted:

"Up with you, lads!" and then made a rush at the helmsman, avoided a
blow aimed at him, and retaliated with a thrust which sent the man
staggering back against the next corner, checking him for the moment,
and giving Dick Bannock time to get over on to the poop.

But before the others could mount, the schooner's crew came with so
fierce a rush that, being in the forefront boldly heading his little
party of two, Mark was driven back to the rail, and tossed over, but
made a desperate clutch to save himself, and caught at the line he had
secured.

It was a terrible scrape for his hands, but he held on, came with a
heavy bang against the stern, and feeling as if his arms had been jerked
from his shoulders, he hung there for a moment, and was then helped into
the cabin by the black and Stepney, who had been stopped from climbing
up by the strength of the defence. Then after a sturdy struggle there
were a couple of heavy splashes in the dark water below, while from
overhead came a jeering series of cheers.

Fortunately, whe