watched the boatswain's throw and its unsatisfactory result with the
deepest interest. "Bear a hand there, some one forrad, and have another
try to reach them. The boat's drifting past, and we'll have to go
astern to board her in another minute, if you don't look sharp!"

Having climbed into the fore-rigging, however, so as to have a good look
at the boat and its occupants as we neared them, I was quite as quick as
the skipper to notice what had happened, having, indeed, foreseen the
contingency before it occurred.

So, ere Masters or any of the other men could stir a hand, having made
up my mind what to do, I had seized hold of part of the slack of the
line that remained inboard and, plunging into the sea, swam towards the
boat.

A couple of strokes, combined with the forward impetus of my leap
overboard, took me up to the little craft, and in a jiffey I had grasped
the gunwale aft and clambered within her, securing the end of the line I
had round one of the thwarts at once, amid the ringing cheers of the
skipper and my shipmates in the old barquey, who proceeded to haul us up
alongside without further delay, tugging away at the tar rope I had
hitched on, yo-heave-hoing and hurrahing in one and the same breath
right lustily!

So smart were they, so instantaneous had been the action of the moment
during the episode, that we were close in to the ship's side and under
her conning, immediately below the port end of the bridge, where the
skipper stood leaning over the rail and surveying operations, before I
had time actually to look round so as to have a nearer view of the
unfortunate men whom we had so providentially rescued.

When I did though, one glance was enough.

I was horror stricken at the sight that met my eyes.

The man whom I had observed when we were yet some distance off to be
lying huddled up in the bows motionless, as if dying or already dead, I
now saw had received a horrible wound on the top of his head that had
very nearly smashed in the skull, besides almost severing one of his
ears which was hanging from the cheek bone, attached by a mere scrap of
skin, the bottom boards of the boat near him being stained with blood
that had flowed from the cut, and his hair likewise matted together with
gore. Oh, it was horrible to see! He was not dead, however, as I had
thought, but only in a state of stupor, breathing heavily and making a
strange stertorous sound as if snoring.

His fellow-sufferer aft