ir arms in their hands, shouted out that the boat was about to sink;
and sad would be the fate, Green saw, of most of them if it did so;
while in the darkness, amid the struggling horses, it would be scarcely
possible to pick them all up. The only thing to be done was to pull
away with might and main; sometimes, in spite of all their efforts, the
raft seemed drifting back to the shore; at others the waves sent it
rushing forward, threatening to stave in the sterns of the boats.

"Here's a pretty piece of work!" observed Tom; "I only hope we shall be
able to get hold of one of the transports before long."

"There's one ahead of us, if we can but reach her," said Archie;
"there's nothing like trying."

Try they did, cheering on the men; and by dint of hard pulling they got
within hail of the transport, and asked for help. "We cannot give it
you," was the answer; "we have a boat-load of horses alongside." A
second transport was neared, and then another and another, but all
declared their inability to render assistance. Green was almost in
despair; the artillerymen were shouting out more lustily than before,
asserting that the raft was fast filling. At length the boats managed
to tow her up alongside a transport, the master of which responded to
their appeal, and assisted them in securing her. Fortunately the
artillerymen she had brought out had not yet been landed, and, the
officers turning them out of their berths, they assisted the crew in
hoisting the horses and guns on board. The gun-carriages, however,
being too heavy, were left on board the raft, and she was let drop
astern. As, however, their loss made the guns useless, Tom and Archie
were sent to the nearest ship to obtain assistance. As they got
alongside, they found that she was the _Briton_, and, Archie having
explained matters to his uncle, who was on deck, Commander Murray sent a
boat with a fresh crew, by whose means the gun-carriages were at length
hoisted on board.

Soon afterwards the sorely-battered raft went to pieces. Tom and Archie
were still alongside, when they caught sight of the noble horse which
they had seen coming off from the shore still struggling in the waves.
Instinct had directed it to the very vessel from which it had been
disembarked. Shouting to the crew on deck, they called for slings,
which were sent down, and being secured--not without difficulty--round
the body of the horse, the animal was lifted safely on board, to all