ide, someone on her deck heaving
dexterously a line inboard, which Tim Rooney the boatswain as
dexterously caught as it circled in the air like a lasso and fell
athwart the boat davits amidships.

The line was then taken forwards by Tim Rooney outside the rigging, he
walking along the gunwale till he gained the forecastle; there, another
man then lending a hand, the line was hauled in with the end of a strong
steel hawser bent on to it, that had been already passed over the stern
of the tug, and the bight carried across the "towing-horse" and firmly
fastened to the tug's fore-deck, while our end on reaching the
forecastle of the Silver Queen was similarly secured inboard, Tim
satisfying himself that it was taut by jumping on it.

"Are you ready?" now hailed the master of the tug from the paddle-box of
his little vessel, calling out to Mr Mackay who was leaning over the
poop of ours which seemed so big in comparison, the hull of the ship
towering above the tug and quite overshadowing her. "Are you ready,
sir?"

"Aye, aye!" sang out Mr Mackay in answer. "You can start as soon as
you like. Fire up and heave ahead!"

Then, the steamer's paddles revolved, the steel hawser, stretched over
her towing-horse astern and attached to our bows, tightened with a sort
of musical twang as it became rigid like a bar of iron; and, in another
minute or so, the Silver Queen was under good way, sailing down the
Thames outwards bound.

"Fo'c's'le, ahoy there!" presently shouted out Mr Mackay near me all of
a sudden, making me jump round from my contemplation of the river, into
which I was gazing down from over the stern, looking at the broad white
foaming wake we left behind us as we glided on. "Is the bosun there?"

"Aye, aye, sorr," promptly replied Tim Rooney, showing himself from
behind the deck-house between the mainmast and foremast, which had
previously hidden him from the view of the poop. "I'm here, sort."

"Then send a hand aft to the wheel at once," rejoined Mr Mackay. "Look
sharp, we're under steerage-way."

"Aye, aye, sorr," answered the boatswain as before; and as he spoke I
could see a tall seaman making his way aft in obedience to the first
mate's orders; and, before Mr Mackay had time to walk across the deck,
he had mounted the poop, cast off the lashings that prevented the wheel
from moving, and was whirling the spokes round with both hands in
thorough ship-shape style.

This man's name was Adams, as I subs