Part 29 (2/2)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A DISABLED CREW

”I thought it was all over with you, sir,” said Toardless of those over whoed aft and thrown hi midshi+p the fored away, laid in the bottoles and cries

”I thought so, too, Toh before; it is too hard to have a madman on board”

”'Tis, sir; but I wonder we ain't all h for htened than hurt I thought we should have been over into the black water”

”And it you had been, he'd ha' drowned you, as sure as sure, sir, for we couldn't ha' found you in the darkness”

”And the worst of it is, I don't knohat to do,” said Mark ”If Dr Whitney were only here”

”No use to wish, sir If it was, I'd wish the _Naughtylass_ was here to try and catch the schooner and her crew There is one thing to wish for, though, and that's for to-ht, sir”

”Yes, and I'h, as he looked round at the veil of black darkness which shut theles and cries of the unfortunate coxswain, till by degrees they greeaker and weaker, and thehim relaxed their efforts, for their prisoner sank into a heavy stupor

Startling and painful as this episode in their night's adventures had been, it had had one advantage, that ofthe time passof wonder that the young officer turned sharply round as To, sir”

”What! What do you ns of it, sir Listen! you can hear the birds beginning to pipe”

”Yes; that's a bird's whistle,” said Mark ”Then we can't be so very far froht, sir, and what I hope is that we're not very far frohtylass_, and that they'll be at ith the spy-glasses to see where we are”

”And I've got to face the captain,” thought Mark, ”and give hiht's work How shall I do it? It's horrible to go back like this”

As the tirew rees there was a lightening around the over the calht or ten feet above their head; and this was gradually growing opalescent, and shot with bright tints, till all beneath was fairly light, and the midshi+pman looked round for the _Nautilus_ and the schooner

But there were no signs of either, perhaps because thefifty yards in any direction

There was plenty to see, however, inboard, and at the first glance round, before his gaze was concentrated upon his officer, Mark Vandean's heart sank within hiht of the wretched, dilapidatedso smart and active

To a man they were battered, bruised, and bore traces of the terrible struggle through which they had passed The coxswain lay asleep, and, upon exaht wake up calave one look at Toured of all, the blows he had received having caused his face to swell up till he was hardly recognisable--and then devoted his attention to Mr Russell, who lay senseless

It see helpless in the bottoan to think it would be wise to study surgery, ready for acting in an eency like this

Mark did what he could with To the lieutenant at his ease, before taking advantage of theto disappear beneath the powerful rays of thesun to try and make out their position

This was soon done They were about a couple oftheht away from the river at whose mouth the schooner had been ashore, for the water was perfectly clear here, while there it had beena clear view northward as the sun rose higher, both Mark and Tom Fillot carefully scanned the horizon in search of the _Nautilus_, but she was not in view There was a possibility of her being round a headland which stretched out some ten miles away, but that was all

The next search was for the schooner; and, as she was nowhere in sight seaward, they had to content thee in soh on the low-lying shore