Syd Belton

Roylance smiled feebly and pointed down at the boat, which was yielding slowly to the drag kept on it by the men.

"That may be the means of saving our lives," he said.

"Are you going to leave those other two poor fellows to fall off the rock as food for the sharks, Mr Belton?" said Terry, who had been put out of temper by the action of the men.

"I think you can answer that question yourself, Mr Terry," said Roylance, flus.h.i.+ng up angrily.

Syd made no reply, but quietly gave his orders.

"Mr Roylance," he said, "are you well enough to take charge of the men here, as they haul the boat along, while I go and see to the bo'sun and Rogers being got up the cliff?"

"Well enough? yes," cried Roylance, upon whom the short encounter with Terry had acted like a stimulus.

Terry turned pale with rage at being pa.s.sed over, and he followed Syd and four of the men as they hurried along with the rope set at liberty coiled up.

It was with no little anxiety that the party approached the spot where Rogers had gone down, while Terry, who had expressed so much interest in the fate of the two men, oddly enough hung behind.

Syd was the first to reach the place, and looked over to be greeted by Rogers with a hail.

"Is Mr Strake all right?"

"Ay, ay, sir; all but my bark," said the boatswain. "Don't say, sir, as you haven't got Mr Roylance off the boat."

"Got him off, Strake, and they're towing the boat along."

"Hurrah!" shouted the two men, whose position in an indentation of the rock line had prevented them from seeing what was going on.

The rope was lowered down with the loop all ready, and Strake was hauled up first, his appearance over the side being greeted with a cheer, and plenty of hands were ready to help him into a sitting position, for it was evident that he could not lift one leg.

"Never mind me, my lads," he said, quietly. "Get Rogers on deck first."

This was soon effected, the smart young sailor displaying an activity as he scrambled over the edge of the rocks that contrasted strangely with the boatswain's limp.

"Now, Strake," said Syd, as soon as he had seen Rogers safe, "are you hurt?"

"Hurt, sir? Did you say hurt?"

"Yes, yes, man."

"Well, I s'pose I am, sir, for I feels as if I'd got a big sore place spread all over me. Mussy me, sir, that's about the hardest rocks to fall on as ever was."

"But no bones broken?"

"Bones broken? Nay. I've got none of your poor brittle chaney-ladle kind o' bones; but my head's cut and the bark's all off

"Of course, of course, Strake; anything I can do."

"Ahoy!" cried the old man, raising a hand as he sat in the suns.h.i.+ne upon the rock, but lowering it directly. "Oh, dear; I wanted to give them a hearty cheer yonder, but, phew! it's bellows to mend somewhere. Yes, I'm stove in. Old s.h.i.+p's been on the rocks; all in the dry though."

A cheer came back, though, as Roylance and his men caught sight of the two who had been rescued, while they towed the boat slowly along.

"How are we to get you back to the huts, Strake?" said Syd, anxiously.

"Oh, never mind me just at present, my lad," said the boatswain; "what I want to see is that there boat got alongside o' our harbour--on'y 'tarn't a harbour--and made fast with all the rope you can find. Maybe she's got a cable aboard. I should break my heart if she weer to break adrift now."

"Mr Roylance has her in charge, Strake, and I'll see to you. Where are you in pain?"

"Ask me where I arn't in pain, Mr Belton, sir. I got it this time."

"I'm sorry for you, Strake."

"Thank ye, sir; but I'm sorry for you. There's a big job to patch me up and caulk me, I can tell you. It's horspittle this time, I'm feared."

"But how are we to move you without giving you pain?"

"I'll tell you, sir. Sail again, and some un at each corner. We shan't beat that."

The sail was procured, and the injured man was carried as carefully as possible back to the foot of the gap, hoisted up, and then borne into the hospital.

"Strake! Hurt?" cried the lieutenant.

"Oh, not much, sir; bit of a tumble, that's all, sir. Don't you be skeared. I arn't going to make no row about it. No, no, sir, please,"

continued the boatswain, "not yet. I don't feel fit to be boarded.

Just you go and give your orders to make that there boat safe, and then I'm ready for you. One word though, sir."

"What is it?"

"Have that there boat well fended, or she'll grind herself to pieces agen the rock."

Syd hesitated, but being full of anxiety to see the boat that had cost them so much thoroughly secured, and feeling perhaps that after all a rest after his rough journey would make the boatswain more able to bear examination and bandaging, he hurried off to find that he need not have troubled himself, for Roylance was doing everything possible, and the vessel was being safely moored head and stern.

But he was in time to have the boatswain's proposition carried out, and a couple of pieces of spar were hung over the side to keep her from tearing and grinding on the edge of the natural pier.

As Syd was returning he came upon Terry, looking black as night, and held out his hand.

"I'm sorry there should have been any fresh unpleasantness," he said.

"Can't we be friends, Mr Terry?"

"That's just what I want to be, Belton," cried Terry, eagerly, seizing the proffered hand. "I'm afraid I did interfere a bit too much to-day."

"And somehow," mused Syd, as he went on to the hospital, "I can't feel as if it's all genuine. It's like shaking hands with a sole and five sprats. Ugh! how cold and fishy his hand did feel."

The lieutenant was lying in the hospital with his eyes closed, and Pan was bathing his father's brow with water, using his injured arm now and then out of forgetfulness, but putting it back in the sling again as soon as it was observed.

"Arn't much the matter with it, I know, Pan-y-mar," the injured man whispered, as Syd halted by the door to see how his new patient seemed, trembling terribly in his ignorance at having to put his smattering of surgery to the test once more.

"Ah, you dunno, father," grumbled the boy. "You've ketched it this time. I don't talk about getting no rope's-ends to you."

"No, my lad, you don't. I should jest like to ketch you at it. But you won't see me going about in a sling."