"MAN OVERBOARD!"
Murray leaned over the side, looking down at the dimly seen figure of
his companion, hardly visible in the disturbed water, and full of the
expectation of seeing him come up again directly.
"What a ducking!" he thought to himself, and his features were
corrugated with mirth. Tom May too was indulging in a hearty grin,
which however began to smooth into a look of horror in nowise behind the
aspect of Murray's face, for both now began to realise the fact that the
tightened cord at which the harpooned fish was evidently tugging was
rapidly drawing the middy farther and farther down, while the sloop was
steadily gliding onward and leaving the unfortunate youth behind.
It was a time for action, and the moment Murray could throw off the
nightmare-like feeling which held him motionless he sprang upon the
rail, shouted loudly "Man overboard!" and then without a moment's
hesitation plunged headlong down, taking a header into the glittering
sunlit water below.
"A man overboard!" The most thrilling words that can be uttered at
sea--words which chill the hearers for a moment and then are followed by
a wild feeling of excitement which pervades more than runs through a
ship, awakening it as it were with one great throb from frigid silence
to excited life. In this instance, as Frank Murray made his spring, his
words seemed to be echoed by Tom May in a deep roar as he too sprang
upon the rail, from which he leaped, throwing his hands on high as he
described a curve outward from the _Seafowl's_ side, and then in the
reverse of his position as his fingers touched the water there was a
heavy splash, and those who ran to the side caught sight of the soles of
his feet as he too disappeared for a short space beneath the rippled
sea.
There was but a trifle of confusion on deck: the orders rang out, but
almost before they were uttered the men were running to their stations
in connection with one of the boats, which was rapidly manned; the
blocks of the falls creaked as she sank down and kissed the water; the
varnished ash blades flashed in the sunshine as they were seized and run
from the rowlocks into regular double lines; and then, as they dipped,
the cutter seemed to be endued with life, and darted forward to the
rescue.
Meanwhile, confused by his sudden drag from daylight into semi-darkness
and confusion, Roberts had recovered himself sufficiently to begin
trying to free his wrist from the thin line which cut into it deeply as
tug, tug, tug, it was drawn tighter and tighter by the harpooned fish,
into whose back the barbed iron prongs had plunged deeply, and, far from
robbing it of life, seemed only to have nerved it and stimulated it with
a power that was extraordinary in a creature of its size. For the
midshipman, as he struck out with one arm, felt himself dragged beneath
the surface by his victim, whose efforts were directed entirely towards
sounding deeply to seek the safety offered by the darkness fathoms
below.
Tug and jerk, tug and jerk, in the midst of a confusion that grew more
and more wild, as the midshipman strove to free himself from the bond
which held him fast. The water thundered in his ears in a series of
strange sounds which deepened into one deafening roar. The power of
thinking of his position was rapidly passing away; the water above him
grew darker and darker; and at last in one involuntary effort the lad
ceased his struggle to free his wrist, and struck out wildly with arms
and legs to force himself to the surface.
It was quite time, and fortunately the efforts of the fish to drag him
down were for the moment weakening, while in response to his wild
struggle the light grew brighter, and just as consciousness was about to
leave him, the lad's head rose above the surface again and he gasped for
breath.
It was life, but the respirations were succeeded directly by a renewal
of the sharp tugs at his wrist, and the water was about to close over
his head again, when he felt the touch of a hand and heard the panting
voice of some one whose tones were familiar, as he was turned over face
upward and his descent was checked.
Then amidst the confusion and his attempts to recover his breath, the
unfortunate lad heard another voice, and the gruff tones seemed to be
those of one giving orders.
"Hooroar, my lad!" came, close to the middy's ear. "That's good. Wait
a moment. My knife'll soon cut him clear."
"No, no, Tom; don't cut. We can keep him up now. Shout for the boat."
"They don't want no shoutin', sir. They'll be here directly."
These words all seemed to reach the ears of Roberts from somewhere far
away, and then the water was thundering in them again, and he began once
more to struggle for life. Then again he seemed to get his breath in a
half-choking confused way, as he heard the gruff tones begin again.
"I'd better cut, sir, on'y my knife won't open."
"No, no, Tom; we can manage. Keep his head well up."
"All right, sir. That was the beggar's flurry. Dessay he's turning up
his white."
"Hooray!" came like another echo, along with the splash of oars, and
then half consciously Roberts felt himself dragged over the side of the
boat. There was another cheer, and a strange sound as of a fish beating
the planks rapidly with its tail, while Murray's breathless voice,
sounding a long way off, said--
"My word, he is a strong one! I am glad we've got him."
Then several other voices seemed to be speaking together, but in a
confused way, and Roberts felt as if he had been asleep, till some one
whose voice sounded like the doctor's said--
"Oh, he's all right now, sir."
"Who's all right now?" thought the lad; and he opened his eyes, to find
himself lying upon the deck with the doctor upon one knee by his side,
and pretty well surrounded by the officers and men.
"Nice wet fellow you are, Roberts," said the doctor.
"Eh?" said the lad, staring confusedly. "Have I been overboard?"
"Well, yes, just a trifle," replied the doctor.
"Oh yes, I remember now. Ah! Where's Frank Murray?" cried the lad
excitedly.
"Here I am all right!" came from behind him.
"Ah!" ejaculated the half insensible lad, and he gave vent to a deep
sigh of relief and closed his eyes. "I was afraid that--that--"
"But I am all right, Dick," cried Murray, catching the speaker by the
hand.
"Ah, that's right. I was afraid--somehow--I thought you were drowned."
"There, there," cried the doctor, bending over the lad and patting his
shoulder, "nobody has been drowned, and you are all right again, so I
want you to get below and have a good towelling and then tumble into
some dry things while I mix you up a draught of--What's the matter now?"
Roberts had suddenly sprung up into a sitting position, as if the
doctor's last words had touched a spring somewhere in the lad's spine.
"Nothing, sir--nothing," he cried excitedly. "I'm all right again now.
I recollect all about it, and how Frank Murray saved my life."
"Oh, it was Tom May did the most of it, Dick."
"Did he help?" continued the lad. "Ah, he's a good fellow,--Tom May.
But I'm all right now, doctor; and where's the fish?"
The lad stared about him in a puzzled way, for he had become conscious
of the fact that those around him were roaring with laughter, an
outburst which was gradually subsiding, while those most affected were
wiping their eyes, when his last query about the fish set them off
again.
"Why, doctor," said the captain, trying to look serious, but evidently
enjoying the mirth as much as any one present, "who is going to doubt
the efficacy of your medicine after this? The very mention of it in Mr
Roberts's hearing acted upon him like magic. Did you see how he started
up like the man in the old tooth tincture advertisement--`Ha, ha! Cured
in an instant!'"
"Oh yes, sir," said the doctor grimly; "but it's all very fine. You are
all glad of my help sometimes."
"Of course, my dear Reston," said the captain. "No one slights you and
your skill; but you must own that it was comic to see how Mr Roberts
started up the moment you said physic."
"Oh yes, it was droll enough," said the doctor good-humouredly. "There,
Roberts, if you feel well enough to do without my draught I will not mix
one. What do you say?"
"Oh, I'm all right now, sir," cried the lad--"at least I shall be as
soon as I've changed."
"Off with you, then," said the doctor; and catching hold of Murray's
proffered arm, Roberts and his friend hurried below.