right, sir; and as your superior officer's down, you're in
command, and have got to tell me what to do."

"What can I tell you to do?" cried Mark, in desperation. "You can't row
the boat back to the coast alone."

"That's true enough, sir, but there's one thing you ought to order me to
do at once."

"Yes; what?"

The sailor pointed to the flag spread out behind where the midshipman
sat; and Mark shuddered as he grasped his meaning.

"Do you think I ought to, Tom?" whispered the lad at last, in
awe-stricken tones.

"What do you think, sir, left in charge as you are?" returned the man.
"Seems a terrible thing for a young gent like you to give orders about,
but I can't see no way out of it. We did our best to save him, and now
it don't seem as we can save ourselves. 'Tall events, we can do no good
to him, and I think the skipper--beg pardon, sir, no offence meant, the
captain--will say you did what was quite right in giving me my orders."

Mark was silent, and tried to think out the matter calmly and with
reason, but his head throbbed and burned, and all kinds of thoughts of
other things kept on coming to confuse him and stop the regular flow of
his thought, till it was as if he could think of everything else but the
subject of such great importance to those on board.

At last, though, he leaned over the side, and bathed his throbbing
temples with the comparatively cool water, when, by slow degrees, the
beating ceased, and the power to think calmly came back.

"Do you really feel it would be right, Tom Fillot?" he said.

"I'm sure it would, sir."

"No, no, I couldn't do it," cried the boy, excitedly; "it seems too
dreadful."

"More dreadful not to do it, sir, begging your pardon," said the man,
quietly; and Mark gazed at him wonderingly to see how calm, manly, and
serious he, the wag of the ship, had grown to be now.

"No, no, I dare not. Here, I'll speak to Mr Russell."

"Do, sir; but I'm afraid you won't make him understand. He's too far
gone for that."

Mark went down on his knees by his officer and took his hand. Then,
placing his lips close to the stricken man's ear, he asked him again and
again to give him his advice what to do, but elicited nothing but a
peevish muttering, as the lieutenant tossed his head from side to side.

"What I told you, sir."

"Then I'll ask Dance," cried Mark. "He is over you men, and I cannot do
this without some one to share the responsibility."

"Try him, sir