arried
away," answered the man at the helm. The crew of the big ship were
rushing out to the bowsprit end to try and clear the sloop, but that
seemed no easy matter.

"Can't you cut the rigging, my friends?" shouted the Count, who at a
glance saw that by so doing the sloop would be set free.

"But we shall lose our mast if they do that," said the man at the helm.

"Better lose our mast than be sent to the bottom," answered the Count.

Again he shouted, "Cut, my friends, cut."

The sailor who had sprung to the end of the jibboom, supposing the Count
to be the captain, did as he was bid, and with a few strokes of an axe
quickly severed the rigging, and the shrouds fell down on deck, while
the sloop, gliding on, was quickly free of the ship.

"Why didn't you keep a better look-out?" shouted the captain of the
ship. "It was your own fault in getting in our way."

"Ja, ja," answered the man at the helm, who like the skipper had been
indulging in potations of schiedam. The skipper himself now came on
deck, to which the Baron had just before made his way, and began
storming and raging. The crew of the big ship only laughed at him and
sailed proudly on, while the sloop lay helpless on the water.

"The sooner we repair the rigging the better," observed the Count, who
never put himself out, whatever happened. The only man who was capable
of doing this was the one who had been forward; he at once lowered down
the mainsail and saved the mast from being carried away, which it might
have been had a slight puff of wind come on.

"Put the vessel to rights, you lubbers," cried the skipper. "I am going
below to finish my bottle of schiedam."

"Ja, ja," answered the sober man of the crew. "Mynheers, will you help
me, and we shall be able to do it," he said, addressing the Count and
the Baron.

They consented to do their best to pull and haul as much as was
required.

"That's all I want," he said, fixing a rope to the severed rigging and
going aloft with it. Having passed it through a block he told them to
haul away. When the upper end had reached the masthead he lashed it
there as securely as he could.

"That will do, provided we do not get a strong breeze. Now, Mynheers,
help me to set the mainsail."

The Count and the Baron hauled away right lustily, and the sail was soon
set.

"Now," said the sober sailor to the man who had been at the helm, "go
forward and sleep; it is the only thing you're fit for at pres