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Updated: June 8, 2025
"What are you doin'?" said he to one of the men near him. "I'm takin' off my life-belt," he replied; "it'll be over all the quicker, and I don't want to be beatin' about over the sands alive or dead longer than I can help; the sooner I go to the bottom the better." Bax tried to cheer this man, but in vain.
In an hour I caused the alarm bugle to sound and there was some scrambling, but I inspected the decks and found every man at his post with his life-belt on. The first time it took twenty-five minutes. We did this turn three times, so that the men soon knew the direct road from their berths to the lifeboats and were able to get into position in ten minutes, which is considered very good.
We had no boat that could have lived in that sea, of course, and we all knew it. I offered to put one over, and let her drift astern two or three cable's-lengths by a line, if the men thought they could haul me aboard again; but none of them would listen to that, and I should probably have been drowned if I had tried it, even with a life-belt; for it was a breaking sea.
And I'm not going to let him die. He may get drowned, and that would be almost better for him! But he must have what chance there is! That life-belt, Tonet! For your own boy, the child of your treachery and disgrace! You're a dog, but you are also a father! Hand it over, or I'll cut your throat!" Tonet smiled an atrocious, cynical smile. "I don't say he's not mine. But it's everybody for himself!"
Oliphant, who, with a desperate effort, seized on a life-belt, and called to the stewardess to assist in its adjustment. "Oh, dear!" cried Bluebell. "And what is to become of me? However, you are quite welcome to it. I had sooner be drowned at once than bob about on a wave, with sharks nibbling at my toes for an hour or two previously."
Of course, there was nothing to do but accede to that request. "Lay hold of the canoe," called Varney impatiently, when the poor fellow reappeared. "I'll send a boat down for you." There had been no chance of his drowning: for the overturned canoe was staunch, and floated, a splendid life-belt, not a foot away from him. At Varney's word, he seized hold of it feebly, with both hands.
He appeared in her presence with his hair hastily wetted and smoothed by hand, breathless, and clinging to his hat brim as though it was a life-belt, and he stumbled at the carpet edge out of sheer distress of mind. Lady Wondershoot liked bullying Caddles. Caddles was her ideal lower-class person, dishonest, faithful, abject, industrious, and inconceivably incapable or responsibility.
"Nobody's allowed to go off without a life-belt," said the coxswain to the young sailor, "besides, it's against rules to let you go." "How's that?" asked the youth; "you called for volunteers." "Yes, but our volunteer-crew is already made up, so you must jump out. Thank you all the same, my fine fellow." The man-of-war's man was too well disciplined to think of resistance, even for a moment.
He poised a moment, trying to prevent the steamer's deck from mounting by planting one foot firmly upon it. The device, sound enough in mechanical theory, proved unavailing. The vast hulk sank alternately at either end, and to fearsome depths of the sea. There would come a last plunge. He tightened the life-belt.
"Will you make it up if I come out, then," demanded the diver. "No; I'll never speak to you again as long as I live," said the girl, passionately. The mate disappeared again. This time he was out of sight longer than usual, and when he came up merely tossed his arms weakly and went down again. There was a scream from the women, and a mighty splash as the skipper went overboard with a life-belt.
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