The captain and a dozen of the officers or more were also on the alert, scanning the broken surface of the choppy sea surrounding us; but, alas, it was all in vain, no dark speck was to be seen anywhere in the distance resembling the head of the poor fellow trying to keep himself afloat, although the signal staff of the life-buoy could be made out distinctly from the deck, without the assistance of its flaming fuse, which the shades of evening rendered all the more visible as daylight waned. Beyond this and the boat, which was cruising about beyond the buoy, away to leeward, roving hither and thither on its vain quest, there was nothing in sight of us on board the ship, either from the hammock nettings or mast-head. No, nothing but the restless, rolling billows, tossing up their white caps in triumph over the victim who had fallen a sacrifice to Neptune; and the breaking waves, that seemed to chuckle with malicious glee while the remorseless deep below seemed to give vent every now and again to a hoarse roar of triumph! "Signalman, hoist the cutter's recall," said Captain Farmer, presently; after an age of waiting and looking out, as it appeared to me, during which not a word was spoken by anyone. "There is no use searching any more now. If he were afloat, they would have found him long since!" "Alas! I'm afraid there's no hope," replied the commander. "He will never be seen again, sir, I think, till the sea gives up its dead!" "No, poor fellow. May he rest in peace." Captain Farmer raised his cap reverently as he said this; the commander doing the like and adding in his deep voice-- "Amen to that, sir." The signalman had run up B flag for the cutter's return; but, as no notice was apparently taken of the signal, the captain ordered one of the bow guns to be fired. Even then, however, the boat did not at once obey this imperative command, rowing off, indeed, in the opposite direction still, as if those in charge of her had noticed some object in the water, which we could not observe from the ship. A minute or two later, we could see the cutter come to a stop; when, by the aid of the telescope, Larkyns, who was standing by the side of Captain Farmer, said he was sure he saw them pick up something and that they had now turned and were making for the ship. All of us grew excited again on hearing this news, hoping for the best; and as the cutter came closer, the captain, who could not restrain his impatience, hailed her! "Boat, ahoy!" he sang out. "Have you got him?" Charley Gilham, who was sitting in the sternsheets, with his head bent down, looked up on hearing the captain's call. "No, sir," he hailed back. "Only his cap!" The boat came alongside in silence, and the falls were hooked on; when, it was hoisted up to the davits slowly, the men hauling in a sort of spiritless way, as if saddened by the painful episode, while even the boatswain's pipe seemed to whistle in a subdued tone in the minor key!