erson snarled in
sudden rage.

"This man has it hidden away in the inside pocket of his coat!" cried
the young captain of the "Pollard." "Help me to take it away from
him while we've enough life left to act!"

With another snarl Bill Henderson crouched, in the attitude of a football
player, to meet the impending assault.

Five of them swarmed upon him, from all sides. Had not all of them
been near to dying from air starvation the conflict would have been
a savage one. As it was, the fight, although a relatively weak one,
was as strenuous as any of the combatants could make it.

Henderson, ordinarily a powerful brute capable of fighting three or four
ordinary men, still endeavored to do his very best.

Back and forth they fought, rolling over each other, and every moment
burning up more and more of the air that was left to them.

Yet at last Captain Jack, aided by the others, succeeded in snatching
the wrench from the seaman's inner pocket.

"Hold him," cried Benson, getting weakly up, tottering over to one of
the compressors. "Give me a minute--and some--strength--and I'll
give us a taste--of real air."

Desperately he fitted the wrench, tried to give it a sufficient turn,
and could not.

"I'll help you," hoarsely croaked dying Hal, reaching out and getting
the weight of his hands also on the wrench. Never before had either
boy struggled so desperately hard for anything. At last it yielded, ever
so little. There was a hiss of escaping compressed air.

Then they got a taste of it. Oh, how nectarlike that air was! Renewed
strength began to course through their arteries and to creep into
their muscles. Two deep breaths apiece, and then Jack and Hal succeeded
in making a good turn. A moment later they were able to make another
twist, that set the pneumatic apparatus in operation to expel the
bad air through sea valves.

But Bill Henderson, too, was reviving. Uttering hoarse cries of rage
that sounded wonderfully more powerful, now, he fought his three captors
to get upon his feet.

There was no help for it. Captain Jack had to dart over and tap the
fellow on the head with the wrench. Then Bill was quiet long enough
to make it possible, for Mr. Farnum to hurry after a pair of the handcuffs
that were a part of ship's stores. These were snapped over the seaman's
wrists just before he came to.

"Now, we won't have to hurt him," muttered Jack, compassionately. "He's
a maniac, poor chap, or he'd n