"All right," I says; "but mind, I don't
understand it a bit." And now my troubles
seemed to begin; for though it was bad enough
to be bustling about fancying that the ship
would either go down or you'd be burnt every
moment, yet to stand stock-still holding on to
the spokes of that wheel was awful, and do
what I would to stop it, a regular tremble came
all over me, and my knees kept on shake, shake,
shake.

They got the boat over the side, and then
the men rushed over one another to get in, and
it was only by stamping about and hitting at
them that the captain got the poor chaps to take
in the things they wanted; such as food, which
he fetched out of the cabin himself; and water,
which they did sling in, but dropped one little
cask overboard. But, one way or another, he
got them at last to take in a good many thing;
such as they'd want, and a compass; and then,
with three more men, he rushed down to the
cabin again for more food—biscuit-bags—saying
as the other boats would want more, and that
we must supply 'em. And then up they came
staggering and shaking, one man with a little
water-keg, and the captain with a side o' bacon,
and two men with bags o' biscuit; and they
goes to the side, and I wished my job was done
as I saw 'em go.

All at once one of the men gives a yell,
throws down his bag, and leaps bang overboard,
and the others, running after him, did so too;
and then I could see that the cowardly beggars
had pushed off—for they lay close under the
side, where I couldn't see 'em before, and now
they were rowing hard to get away, and I could
see that the boat was so full that the least thing,
must make her fill and sink.

It was pitiful to hear the shrieks of those
poor fellows as was left behind, as they swam
with all their might to get up to the boat, and
it was pitiful to see, for it was as light as day,
and the waves that gently rose and fell seemed
waves of blood—glowing blood—with golden
crests as they softly broke. But though one man
swam so fast that he got up to the boat, they
pushed him off with the oars; and then I saw
him cling to them, and one man pulled out a
knife to stab at him if he came nearer; while
just then I saw the boat-hook rise up and fall
with a heavy thud on the poor chap's head,
and he went under, and I said, "God help him!"
for he came up no more.

There were two more swimming after them,
and when the next saw all this, he just turned
round, and looked back at the ship, and paddled
with his hands a bit, and then stretching them
straight up towards the sky, he gave one wild
bitter shriek, and he went under; and this time
I tried to say, "God help him!" but it was
only my lips that moved.

There was the other, though, a fine lusty
young fellow, and as soon as he saw what took
place he turned off to the left and tried to reach
the nearest boat of the other three; and
manfully he swam for it, raising himself well up in
the water at every stroke, and gradually lessening
the distance till he got close up to the stern,
where I could see quite plain some one holding
out his hands to him, and he was took aboard
the boat.

Now all this took place in a very few minutes;
and, in spite of the danger, we, the two last on
board, could not help stopping to gaze at the
terrible incident; but now the captain comes
up and takes my hand, and says:

"Brother, it was a cowardly, cruel, selfish
action; and I don't know but what I'd rather
die with a brave man than live with curs."

I know my hand shook, but I don't think
my voice did, though I thought of life being
sweet, as I said to him,

"Is it very hard to die, captain?"

"Yes," he says, "I believe it is, to a strong
man; and as God gave us life, and we've done
our duty so far, why we must finish it by trying
to save two more."

"But how?" I says, getting hold of him.

"Don't leave the wheel," he says; and then,
again, " But it don't matter—she makes no
way. Lend a hand here."

And I helped him, and together, roasting
almost, we dragged three great fowl-coops and
a grating to the side, and he tied them together
—lashed them, he called it—in no time; then
we shoved them overboard; and as the vessel
slowly swung round, we were out o' sight o' the
boats, which were about a quarter of a mile off.
He had a rope to the coops so that they could
not float off, and as he told me, I slid down on
to them and squatted there trembling, while he
lowered down to me the little water-keg, some
rope, the bacon, and two of the biscuit-bags.
Then he pitched some loose pieces of woodwork
and the cover of the cabin stairs and a
hutch thing and tarpaulin into the water by
me; slid down the rope, and was by my side
in a few minutes; with the coops sinking about,
so that I was glad to lower myself into the
water and hold on.

"That's right," he says, opening his knife
with his teeth and cutting the rope, and then
getting the tarpaulin and bits of wood and
things in the centre in the handiest way
possible—same as only a sailor could do. He tells
me to hold on tight, and then lowering himself
into the water he pushes off from the burning
ship and begins swimming and guiding our bit
of raft away very slowly, but still further and
further off.

"I'll lash the coops and the grating
together," he says, "as soon as we're out of
danger."

"Out of danger!" I says; "and when will
that be?"

"Well,"' he says, "I mean when we are out
of reach of being sucked down when she sinks."
"Will she sink?" I says.
"Yes," he says, "and before long now;" and
then he went on swimming hard, while I could
do nothing but watch first the boats and then
the burning ship.

It was grand, though awful, to see the noble
vessel standing there like a pyramid of fire