angrily, I
thought, and he continued:

"The ship, we know, must be a goodish bit ahead of us still, and we
can't possibly overhaul her for an hour or more at the earliest. So
come, cheer up, and come along with me and have your leg attended to at
once. I insist, colonel; come."

"But," persisted Colonel Vereker, evidently trying to make out the time
in arguing, and loth to leave the scene of action, though apparently
ready to drop now from sheer pain and exhaustion combined, "Who will--
who will--"

"My first officer here, Mr Fosset, will remain on the bridge during our
absence below," interposed Captain Applegarth, anticipating his last,
unuttered objection. "He's quite competent to take charge, and I'm sure
will let us know the moment the ship comes in sight, if she appears
before we return on deck."

"Aye, that I will, sir," cried out Mr Fosset. "I'll keep a sharp look-
out, and I'll hail you, sir, sharp enough, as soon as she heaves in
sight on the horizon."

"There!" exclaimed the skipper in an exultant tone, taking hold of the
colonel's reluctant arm and placing it within his own, so as to lead him
away and to give him the benefit of his support down the bridge-ladder.
"Won't that satisfy you now, sir, and you see you'll lose nothing by
going below for a spell? Come, come, my good friend, have the leg seen
to and eat something, for you must require it. Why, colonel, unless you
keep up your strength and spur yourself up a bit, you won't be able to
tackle those black scoundrels when we get up to the ship and catch them,
and it comes to a fight, as I expect it will. So come along, my hearty;
rouse yourself and come!"

This concluding remark of the old skipper affected more than all his
previous persuasion, the colonel at once allowing himself to be helped
down the laddering without further demur, and so along the gangway on
the upper deck, towards the lower entrance to the saloon under the beak
of the poop, I lending the aid of my shoulder for the crippled man to
lean on as he limped painfully onward, having to pause at almost every
step, his wounded leg dragging now so much, now that excitement no
longer sustained his flagging frame; the skipper gave aid too, his arm
propping him up on the other side.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

DOCTOR AND PATIENT.

"Faith, it's moighty glad I am, sor, to say you at last!" cried Garry
O'Neil, starting up from his seat at the cuddy table, on our ultimately
reaching