His shrill voice caused a smile of wonder and amusement among the strangers, but as they knew their own skipper’s daughter, they said nothing besides a few remarks among themselves.

“Won’t you wait and have breakfast before you go,” he asked her, as she reached the top of the rail; but she refused, and decided that her father’s strange whim to stay aboard his sinking ship deserved first consideration.

“In that case I shall have to go along also, for you may be very much exhausted before getting back.”

Just what good he could do in such a case he did not stop to explain, but climbed over the side, and after lowering her aboard, took his place beside her in the stern sheets.  Then he gave orders to get clear, and the boat shot away, while I made shift to get my men something to eat before taking the long pull.

In fifteen minutes we were ready to start.  Chips wanted to go along to see if anything could be done to help stop the leak in case Captain Sackett still insisted staying aboard.  Johnson, the little sailor with the thin legs set wide apart, showing daylight between clear to his waist, Hans, the heavy-shouldered Swede, and Phillippi, a squat Dago, made up the rest of the boat’s crew.  Trunnell had come on deck while we were eating from the mess-kids, and met the skipper on the poop, where he stopped to talk over some important matter.  This importance appeared to increase in a moment, for the skipper swore harshly and pointed forward just as my men were coming aft to go over the side.

“Rolling,” he cried, “hold on with that boat a minute, and lay aft here,” I came to the edge of the poop.

“Get that ruffian Andrews ready and put him aboard the Sovereign.  The men here are tired of his ways, and fair exchange is no robbery.  We’ll take their men, they’ll take one of ours, hey?  Do you rise to that?”

I understood.  The men had made it apparent they did not wish to have the fellow aboard since he persisted in his murderous ways.  The skipper had been importuned by Jim to turn back and put him ashore.  This he would not think of doing, but to propitiate them he had struck upon this new method of getting rid of his charge.

I called Jim, the young landsman, to lend a hand getting the fellow ready.  Andrews cursed us all around and demanded to know what we were going to do with him.  No attention was paid to him, however, and he was bundled into the boat, handcuffed, with his legs free.

“Tell Captain Sackett I say he’s welcome to him,” drawled out Thompson, over the poop rail.  “Good luck to you, Andrews,” he continued; “you’ll have a pleasant voyage with no enemies to rip and cut.  So long!”

This drew forth a volley of oaths from Andrews, but the skipper smiled, and we were soon out of earshot.

“What do you make of the weather, sir?” asked Jim, who pulled stroke oar.  I looked over the smooth, heaving surface of the quiet ocean, and there was not the first sign of a breeze anywhere.  The sun was partly obscured in a thick haze which seemed to come from everywhere and fill the entire atmosphere.  The first boat was almost aboard the wreck, and we could see her looking like a black speck in the distance.