made its way to the sea-bed, and taken the Haliotis after.

"Where are we going to, and how long will they tow us?" he asked of the
skipper.

"God knows! and this prize-lieutenant's drunk. What do you think you can
do?"

"There's just the bare chance," Mr. Wardrop whispered, though no one was
within hearing--"there's just the bare chance o' repairin' her, if a man
knew how. They've twisted the very guts out of her, bringing her up with
that jerk; but I'm saying that, with time and patience, there's just the
chance o' making steam yet. We could do it."

The skipper's eye brightened. "Do you mean," he began, "that she is any
good?"

"Oh, no," said Mr. Wardrop. "She'll need three thousand pounds in
repairs, at the lowest, if she's to take the sea again, an' that apart
from any injury to her structure. She's like a man fallen down five
pair o' stairs. We can't tell for months what has happened; but we
know she'll never be good again without a new inside. Ye should see the
condenser-tubes an' the steam connections to the donkey, for two things
only. I'm not afraid of them repairin' her. I'm afraid of them stealin'
things."

"They've fired on us. They'll have to explain that."

"Our reputation's not good enough to ask for explanations. Let's take
what we have and be thankful. Ye would not have consuls remembern'
the Guidin' Light, an' the Shah-in-Shah, an' the Aglaia, at this most
alarmin' crisis. We've been no better than pirates these ten years.
Under Providence we're no worse than thieves now. We've much to be
thankful for--if we e'er get back to her."

"Make it your own way, then," said the skipper. "If there's the least
chance--"

"I'll leave none," said Mr. Wardrop--"none that they'll dare to take.
Keep her heavy on the tow, for we need time."

The skipper never interfered with the affairs of the engine-room, and
Mr. Wardrop--an artist in his profession--turned to and composed a work
terrible and forbidding. His background was the dark-grained sides of
the engine-room; his material the metals of power and strength, helped
out with spars, baulks, and ropes. The man-of-war towed sullenly and
viciously. The Haliotis behind her hummed like a hive before swarming.
With extra and totally unneeded spars her crew blocked up the space
round the forward engine till it resembled a statue in its scaffolding,
and the butts of the shores interfered with every view that a
dispassionate eye might wish to take. And that th