Were you ever nearly drowned? Did you ever feel the sensation of the
waves rushing and roaring over you, as if full of triumph at having
captured a human being to drag down into their depths and devour?
It is to be hoped not, and that you never will be in such jeopardy as
that in which Mark Vandean found himself as the pale, soft moonlight was
suddenly shut out from sight, and he went down into the black darkness,
too much startled and confused to grasp his position and make a calm,
matter-of-fact attempt to save his life. He was conscious of receiving
a kick, which sent him lower, and then of rising and striking his head
against something hard.
This blow roused him into action, and, realising in a flash that he had
knocked his head against some portion of the boat, he struck out
strongly, and the next moment was gazing around at the agitated water,
and then made out, close at hand, what looked like the glistening back
of some sea monster.
It was only the imagination of the moment. Directly after he was
swimming for it, seeing that it was the bottom of the capsized boat,
about which the crew were clustering.
Then a strong hand was stretched out to him, and he was drawn to the
keel, Tom Fillot, who had rowed stroke oar, helping him to a good
position.
"Hold on a bit, sir, and we'll try and right her."
"Yes," panted Mark. "Where's Mr Russell?"
"Here," came rather faintly from the other side of the boat, accompanied
by a fit of gasping and coughing. "All right now; I got under the boat.
All here, my lads?"
"Ay, ay, sir."
"Then you one and all deserve a flogging," cried the second lieutenant,
angrily. "What were you about to capsize the boat?"
"Dunno, sir," said Tom Fillot, gruffly. "She went over all of her own
sen."
"Don't be an idiot, man."
"Where's the black?" panted Mark, who had not yet got back to his
regular breathing.
"I have him, sir," said the coxswain, "but I don't think he's--"
"Oh, don't say he's dead!" cried Mark.
"Course not, sir, if you says I'm not," muttered the man; "but it
strikes me as he was dead before he reached the sea. Some one seems to
have hit him on the head."
The lieutenant changed his position, so as to place himself alongside
the coxswain, and then moved away again.
"Dead?" whispered Mark, as he drew himself a little more on the bottom
of the boat, and craned his neck towards his brother officer.
Russell did not answer for the moment, but gravely bent his head.
"The brutes!" he then said, softly; "and all this risk for nothing."