"Get her into a room, and fetch a doctor directly," said a voice close to me, which I now recognised as that of the officer I had run against. "Now, my lads, give way.--I say, how are you?" I looked up, feeling dull and confused, and saw the officer was bending down over me. "That's better," he said. "We'll soon have you on board, and the surgeon will put you right in no time." In a few minutes the great stern of the _Jumna_ was looming over us, and a tremendous burst of cheering rose as we were pulled alongside; but it did not strike me then what it all meant. I looked up, and could see white faces looking down at us, and handkerchiefs were being waved because the woman was saved, I supposed, but I was too weak and exhausted to trouble much. I was conscious of the hooks being made fast, of the creaking of the blocks as the boat was run up to the davits, and then of being lifted out on to the deck, all wet and cold, with the water streaming from me. There was a crowd of excited people around, but all dimly seen, and a loud humming of voices and an order or two, but the faces were swimming round me, and the voices sounded distant, all but one, which seemed to belong to my cabin, and it said-- "My gallant lad!" Almost at the same moment, as it appeared to me, a rough hand caught mine, and gripped it so that it would have been painful if all I was passing through had not been confused and misty, as if it were part of a dream. There was a face, too, looking down in mine with a woollen cap and a red tuft, and a suggestion of a white flannel jacket, and a hoarse voice said-- "Bless you for that, sir. She's my dear lass." Then everything was dark again, as if my head had gone under water, and when I saw clearly once more I was in the cabin and two gentlemen were standing by my berth. CHAPTER FOUR. "Better, my lad?" said one of the gentlemen, smiling; but I was looking at the other, who was Captain Brace, as I said in a puzzled way-- "Better? What's the matter? Have I been ill?" "Only nearly drowned. I hope you haven't swallowed much of that filthy dock water." "Drowned? Dock water?" I said in a puzzled way; and then "Oh!" and I started up, but lay down and said "Oh!" again in a different tone of voice, for I had given my head a sounding rap against the beam above my berth. "Hurt yourself?" said Captain Brace. "Not very much," I cried, "but I recollect now. That woman--was she saved?" "Ask yourself," said the first speaker. "You saved her, and it was a precious plucky thing to do. Oh yes, they'd soon bring her round. There, you don't want me," he continued, as he felt my pulse, and then laid his hand upon my forehead. "Lie still a bit, and have a nap." He nodded in a friendly way, and then went out of the cabin, leaving me with Captain Brace, whose dark stern face did not look half so repellent now, for it was lit up by a grave sad smile. "Head ache?" he said gently. "No--yes--a little. Who was that?"