Across the deck Theriere was dragging himself painfully to his hands and knees, as though to attempt the impossible feat of crawling back to the cabin hatch.  The wave was almost upon Billy.  In a moment it would engulf him, and then rush on across him to tear Theriere from the deck and hurl him beyond the ship into the tumbling, watery, chaos of the sea.

The mucker saw all this, and in the instant he launched himself toward the man for whom he had no use, whose kind he hated, reaching him as the great wave broke over them, crushing them to the deck, choking and blinding them.

For a moment they were buried in the swirling maelstrom, and then as the Halfmoon rose again, shaking the watery enemy from her back, the two men were disclosed—­Theriere half over the ship’s side—­the mucker clinging to him with one hand, the other clutching desperately at a huge cleat upon the gunwale.

Byrne dragged the mate to the deck, and then slowly and with infinite difficulty across it to the cabin hatch.  Through it he pushed the man, tumbling after him and closing the aperture just as another wave swept the Halfmoon.

Theriere was conscious and but little the worse for his experience, though badly bruised.  He looked at the mucker in astonishment as the two faced each other in the cabin.

“I don’t know why you did it,” said Theriere.

“Neither do I,” replied Billy Byrne.

“I shall not forget it, Byrne,” said the officer.

“Yeh’d better,” answered Billy, turning away.

The mucker was extremely puzzled to account for his act.  He did not look upon it at all as a piece of heroism; but rather as a “fool play” which he should be ashamed of.  The very idea!  Saving the life of a gink who, despite his brutal ways, belonged to the much-despised “highbrow” class.  Billy was peeved with himself.

Theriere, for his part, was surprised at the unexpected heroism of the man he had long since rated as a cowardly bully.  He was fully determined to repay Byrne in so far as he could the great debt he owed him.  All thoughts of revenge for the mucker’s former assault upon him were dropped, and he now looked upon the man as a true friend and ally.

For three days the Halfmoon plunged helplessly upon the storm-wracked surface of the mad sea.  No soul aboard her entertained more than the faintest glimmer of a hope that the ship would ride out the storm; but during the third night the wind died down, and by morning the sea had fallen sufficiently to make it safe for the men of the Halfmoon to venture upon deck.

There they found the brigantine clean-swept from stem to stern.  To the north of them was land at a league or two, perhaps.  Had the storm continued during the night they would have been dashed upon the coast.  God-fearing men would have given thanks for their miraculous rescue; but not so these.  Instead, the fear of death removed, they assumed their former bravado.