nd. I don't think
he'll ayther spake or move ag'in in this loife."

But Garry was mistaken in this diagnosis of his, as events turned out;
but, ere he could say another word, just then as the colonel was going
to make a reply to him, the skipper hammered on the deck with a marling-
spike to attract attention and give a hail at the very top of his voice
that made us all jump, it was so loud and unexpected.

"Ahoy there, forrad!" he shouted in stentorian tones that rang fore and
aft like a trumpet. "Bo'sun, send the hands aft."

"Say, cap'en," sang out Mr Fosset from the bridge, "shall I call up the
fellows down below in the stoke-hold, sir?"

"Aye. Ring the engine-room gong. I want every man-jack on deck that
Mr Stokes can spare; tell him so."

While old Masters was sounding his boatswain's pipe and while busy feet
were tramping aft, the men were beginning to cluster in the waist
immediately below the back of the poop. And here Captain Applegarth
stood stern and erect like an old lion, his cap off and his wavy grey
hair fluffed out over his head by the wind. While this was happening we
could hear the distant sound of the engine-room bell, and then there
came a hail from Mr Fosset.

"Mr Stokes is sending up every one from below, sir," yelled out the
first mate. "He says he can manage by himself now that we're nearly up
to the chase, with the help of a couple of the other firemen; and the
engineers and stokers, the whole lot of them in a batch, have
volunteered to come on deck and join the boarding party."

"That's your sort, my hearty," cried the skipper enthusiastically,
looking down at the sea of excited faces below gazing up expectantly at
his, awaiting the stirring words they knew to be coming, all having got
wind of the approaching fray. "Now, men, I have summoned the lot of you
aft because--well, because I've got something to say to you."

"Bully for you, old man," exclaimed one of the men, amidst a grand roar,
while I could distinguish, distinctly above the other voices of the
crew, Accra Prout, the mulatto cook's laugh as he called out
approvingly, "Golly, dat so, sonny!"

"Heavens!" ejaculated Colonel Vereker, seemingly, like myself, to
recognise the voice at once, "who's that?" said he sharply.

Accra Prout, who stood a head taller than any other of the men clustered
round him, caught sight of the colonel as the latter cast his eyes
downwards, rising from his seat and coming to the side of the