Part 56 (1/2)

”Will she?” thought Mark, but he felt directly after that he hadout the plans they had hatched below, and aof despondency cahtest noise, he et on deck was next to impossible, and even if he did he would not be able to make the line fast unless--Mark shuddered and set aside the horrible thought, which was in full--unless he used his dirk

In open fight it would have been terrible enough, but then it would have been in self-defence, and for the sake of the poor enslaved creatures they were trying to save; but to wait there for an opportunity to strike would be like playing the assassin, and he felt that he would rather jump back into the sea and risk the sharks

It was hard work hanging there His ars felt craan to assail him, as more and more he was forced to the conclusion that there was only one way out of the difficulty, and that was to descend--if he could, for he knew that this would be as difficult a task again

There was a slight rustling, and raising his head once ure of theover the salow arising froht Mark ”I shall have to drop into the water and let theet down If I ers”

In this spirit he turned his head a little to try and look doard, but it was too dark to see anything, and if it had been otherwise, he could at the most have seen his shoulder, in the cranalling by tugging at the cord, but he found that he could not get at it without loosening one hand, which was not to be thought of; besides, if he had tugged, in all probability Tonal that the cord washim off So at last he said to himself, ”Now for it,” and prepared to drop

But he hesitated Who would not under the circumstances? It was not many feet down, but the water was black, and there was the thought of the sharks

He tried to e, but still he could not The perspiration stood out on his forehead, his hands greet, and his breath ca that his task in to cli breath, and pressing his feet hard against the stern, instead of descending he began to draw hilided on to the rail, and from there, as softly as a serpent, lowered hian to unfasten the line about his chest, and secured it to the stout iron upon which the block ran from side to side, and held down the heavy boom of the fore and aft mainsail

For all at once, when he was at his worst pitch of agony and despair at his failure, a familiar voice from somewhere forward cried sharply:

”Jeffs”

”hello,” said the man close by him, softly

”Forward!”

The ht be able toheard by the ood fortune, for just as the fellow Jeffs went forward, the hel, pretty loudly, to aazed over it forward, to see as going on, and why his companion had been suave the line the signal tugs, and crept sidewise into the shelter of the bulwark, where all was perfectly black

There he crouched dirk in hand, listening to the beating of his heart, and the peculiar dull sound htened, and this was suppleave over the wood across which it was strained

The , and that which was going on forward, that he did not notice the sounds which were terribly loud to the midshi+pman's ear, till Tos over, but slipped

The noise he ht in the extreme, but unfortunately he uttered a sharp ejaculation as he saved hi down The hel, and picked up a heavy cudgel lying by him on the deck

Tom Fillot leaped forward, then back, and shouted:

”Up with you, lads!” and then made a rush at the helmsman, avoided a blow aimed at hi back against the next corner, checking hiet over on to the poop

But before the others could mount, the schooner's crew ca in the forefront boldly heading his little party of two, Mark was driven back to the rail, and tossed over, but ht at the line he had secured

It was a terrible scrape for his hands, but he held on, ca as if his ar there for a moment, and was then helped into the cabin by the black and Stepney, who had been stopped froth of the defence Then after a sturdy struggle there were a couple of heavy splashes in the dark water belohile fro series of cheers

Fortunately, when the man left the wheel, the way of the schooner was to some extent stopped, or Tom Fillot and Bannock would have been hopelessly left behind, the slavers not having the slightest intention of lowering a boat to pick up their enemies; but under the circumstances, as the vessel rolled in the holloith her sails flapping and the great boo to and fro, the etting hold of a ring-bolt, and holding on in the darkness, while Toth to keep up

”Can't lend you a hand, rip of me with your teeth--oh!”