cut their thongs.

"Up on deck for your lives," he cried, "and get into the boats alongside;
she will not float three minutes."

At the farther end of the cabin a young girl was kneeling by the side of a
stout old lady, who had evidently fainted.

"Come," Will said, going up to her, "it is a matter of life and death; we
shall have the water coming down the companion in a minute or two."

"I can't leave her," the girl cried.

Will attempted to lift the old lady, but she was far too heavy for him.

"I cannot save her," he said, and raised a shout for Dimchurch. It was
unanswered. "There," he said, "the water is coming down; she will sink in
a minute. I cannot save her--indeed she is as good as dead already--but I
can save you," and snatching the girl up he ran to the foot of the
companion. The water was already pouring down, but he struggled up against
it, and managed to reach the deck; but before he could cross to the side
the vessel gave a sudden lurch and went down. He was carried under with
the suck, but by desperate efforts he gained the surface just as his
breath was spent. For a moment or two he was unable to speak, but he was
none the less ready to act. Looking round he saw a hen-coop floating near,
and, swimming to it, he clung to it with one arm while he held the girl's
head above water with the other. Then, when he had recovered his breath,
he shouted "Dimchurch!" Fortunately the gig was not far away, and his hail
was at once answered, and a moment later the boat was alongside the
hen-coop.

[Illustration: THE RESCUE]

"Take this young lady, Dimchurch, and lay her in the stern-sheets. She
can't be dead, for she was sensible when the ship went down, and we were
not under water a minute."

After the girl had been laid down, Will was helped in.

"Did we save them all?" he asked.

"Yes, sir; at least I think so. They all came running on deck and jumped
straight into the boats. I was busy helping them, and did not notice that
you were missing. As the last seemed to have come up, I called to the
other boats to make off, for I saw that she could only float a minute
longer, and as it was we had only just got clear when she went down.
Indeed we had a narrow escape of it, and the men had to row. I was
standing up to look for you, and had just discovered that you were not in
any of the boats, when I heard you call. It gave me a bad turn, as you may
guess, sir, and glad I was when I saw you were holding on t