Part 17 (1/2)

”They must start for the raft at once.”

”Instantly, sir.”

To lower the boats and man them does not take long on board a man-of-war. Every man knows his place, and the operation proceeds like clock work.

In a few minutes they were flying over the water towards the raft. Very soon they saw it was crowded with people. Some of them raised their hands as they saw the boats draw near.

”Poor souls!” said Dan Daly. ”It's s.h.i.+pwrecked they are, an' starvin'

too.”

”Well, it won't take many minutes to remedy that, Dan.”

”Pull hard, lads!” cried Mr. Robson. ”Every minute counts in a case like this.”

What a sight met the eyes of the blue jackets.

Half of the occupants of the raft were dead men. The survivors seemed to be, many of them, at the point of death. Very few had strength enough to rise even to a sitting position.

”No time for talking, lads,” said Lieutenant Robson. ”Get them back to the s.h.i.+p at once.”

”And the dead, sir?”

”Throw them over. It's all that can be done.”

Some stimulants had been taken with the boats, and by the time that the Brooklyn was reached one of the men had recovered sufficiently to talk.

The others were carried below and given at once into the hands of the surgeon.

”You have suffered very much,” said Captain Miles, kindly.

”Yes, but our troubles are over at last.”

”You feel strong enough to talk?”

”Yes, captain. I'm the mate of the Mary Parker, a fruit s.h.i.+p bound from Rio Janeiro to New Orleans. We were attacked by the Spaniards, and our s.h.i.+p was captured.”

”What was done with it?”

”The cargo--that is, the valuable part of it--was taken by the Spaniard, and our s.h.i.+p was sunk.”

”And how came you on the water?”

”Oh, that is a terrible story. The Spaniards would not take us on board.

The captain said that he had too many mouths to feed as it was.”

”The wretch!”

”Wait. Many of the Spanish officers proposed that we should be sunk with the s.h.i.+p. It would save time, they said. Sometimes I think it would have been better if they had carried out their intention, for my poor comrades suffered torments before they died.”