The most perfect order and discipline prevailed, everything being done systematically, although the accident had occurred so suddenly and unexpectedly; ay, and despite the fact that every soul on board, from Captain Farmer, who had come out of his cabin again immediately on hearing the lifeboat's crew called away, down to the youngest cadet and powder-monkey, was willing and anxious to do his best to save our unfortunate shipmate, without one of us knowing as yet who the poor fellow was whose life was thus imperilled. No; nor, indeed, did we learn his name until after the topsails had been double-reefed and hoisted again and the ship hove-to with her maintopsail to the mast--which was accomplished in less time, I believe, than was ever known before, the operation not taking more than three minutes from first to last! Then it was that we heard who had been lost overboard. "It's poor Popplethorne," said Charley Gilham, the third lieutenant, who had rushed up to the poop from amidships, where he had been stationed, to take command of the lifeboat. "He fell from the upper rigging as he was climbing up into the foretop. The sail ballooned out; and then, slatting against the yard as the brace was hauled in, the clewline caught him unexpectedly, tripping him up and knocked him out of the rigging headlong into the sea!" "Poor young fellow!" said Captain Farmer. "Do you think he was hurt at all, or fell clear of the ship?" "I'm afraid not, sir," replied Mr Gilham, sorrowfully, as he grasped the after falls and sprang into the cutter. "One of the foretopmen, who witnessed the accident, says that he appeared to cannon off something below, bounding out from the ship's side before striking the water, when he sank like a stone." "I'm afraid, then, there's no hope of picking him up," said the captain. "Are you all ready, Gilham?" "All ready, sir." "Lower away, then," cried Captain Farmer. "We can but try to save him!" With that, down went the boat into the water alongside, in such a speedy fashion that the after falls slipping too quickly through the lieutenant's fingers peeled off the skin from the palms of his hands: though Mr Gilham was quite unconscious of the injury he had received until he returned on board, his attention being absorbed in the attempt to save the unhappy midshipman by endeavouring to reach the spot where he had gone down, by this time half-a-mile or so astern. Meanwhile, the commander had stationed lookout men on the crossjack yard and mizzen top, as well as in the weather rigging, to seek for any trace of the poor fellow.