"Heave us a rope, captain!" cried out Jessie; and Thora caught the line that was thrown down, while I helped her to draw our boat to the ship's side. My clothes were still very wet in spite of the warm sun; but, with some difficulty, I got up the barque's side and joined Captain Gordon at the gangway. "Have any of our men been saved?" I asked. "My father, is he--?" But I saw by the skipper's downcast face that the worst had happened. I turned to Kinlay: "Did you not pick up any of them?" I inquired. "It was no use," said he sullenly. "We could save none of them." "You might very well have done so if you'd been more prompt," said Captain Gordon. "I saw two of the poor men above water when you turned to come back." "Why did ye not send out a boat yerself, then?" said Kinlay. "Because I have none, except the lifeboat there. We lost the others in the storm. But it was little use my thinking of launching a heavy lifeboat when you were afloat there at hand." "Well, well, it couldn't be helped," said Kinlay. "It was their own fault they were capsized, and there's no use talking. Put your helm to starboard, skipper, and let's get you into port." "Is this man a pilot, Ericson?" asked Captain Gordon, turning to me. "No," I said; "I believe he has not yet taken out his license. He started piloting two days since in opposition to my father." Kinlay scowled almost savagely at me for saying this. But I knew very well that he was not a fully qualified pilot, whatever he might become, now that my father was drowned. He lost much of his swaggering manner, however, and was very quiet when Captain Gordon ordered him off the ship. "Since that is so, then," said the captain, "you may leave this ship, and young Ericson will take us into the harbour. The lad may have no more claim to pilot us than yourself, but I doubt not he is quite as capable." Kinlay walked across the quarterdeck at this dismissal, but as he put one leg over the gangway to get down to his boat, he said in a hoarse voice, and with a sly leer in his dark eye: "I say, skipper, if ye're examined by the authorities, just say you gave every assistance--that ye hove ropes over--d'ye see? It's a very lamentable thing. But it was their own faults, their own faults." "What d'ye mean?" said the captain. "I did heave ropes over, and I need tell no lies about it. I gave more assistance than you did, ye blackguard." "Oh, very well, very well! I thought I'd just put you on your guard, d'ye see, in case you're examined." And so saying, Kinlay disappeared over the rail, and was soon sailing away, taking Thora with him.