when I heard a sound some distance away, like a coil of rope hove
down on deck.

"I started to swim in the direction of the sound, and after perhaps
about five minutes I makes out something away on my port bow. I gives a
shout as loud as I could, and that sends me under again; so I soon found
that game wouldn't answer.

"However, I stretched out as hard as I could, and got alongside; but
there warn't nothing to take hold of, and she slips past me. I was too
done up to sing out again; but I starts to swim after her, when I
strikes my head against something, and it turns out to be a boat towing
astern. I got hold of the gunnel, and managed somehow to get aboard,
and then down I goes into the bottom of her, too exhausted to do
anything.

"I dropped off to sleep pretty soon, and was only woke up when the chaps
came to hoist their boat in.

"The craft turned out to be a coasting junk, bound to Shanghai, as I
managed to make out, but not another syllable could I understand of
their lingo or they of mine 'twould seem.

"Blest if the very next night we wasn't run down by something or other--
I never knowed what 'twas, for they hadn't the good manners to stop and
pick us up.

"The mainmast of the junk was knocked out of her in the smash, and I
managed to get hold of it and lash myself to it, just in the eyes of the
rigging. The yard happened to be undermost, and so I had a pretty good
berth.

"I floated about on that--spar for four days and nights without a bit or
drop of anything, and then my senses broke adrift, and I knew nothing
more of what happened to me for some time.

"When I came to myself I found I was on board a Dutch ship, homeward-
bound. It turned out that they passed close to my spar, and seein' me
lashed to it they picked me up.

"At least so I made it out; but I knew no Dutch, and there was only one
chap aboard that thought he knowed English; but Lord bless ye,
gentlemen, _I_ couldn't make top nor tail of what he said. I managed to
make out hows'ever that I'd had a narrow squeak of it, and that's about
all.

"By the time I was able to get about on deck again, we was well out in
the Indian Ocean, and everything seemed going on all right; but, as it
turned out, it was all _wrong_, for early one morning we makes land
ahead, the wind bein' light and dead on shore.

"The skipper hauled sharp up on the port tack to try and claw off; but a
current had got hold of us, and away we sagged to leeward,