On the Brink.
“Do you hear, aloft there?” roared the captain. “Down with you!”
“Ay, ay, sir!” cried the Norseman, as he grasped to the full their perilous situation.
“Go down, Johannes,” said Steve faintly; “never mind me.”
The Norseman uttered a low laugh.
“Yes, sir; go down and leave you here! Of course!”
But his hands were busy. He thrust the glass into the case slung from Steve’s shoulder, and taking the line he wore like a baldrick from his own, he hung it on one arm while he made fast the end round the lad’s chest.
“You can use your hands?” he cried.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Then keep yourself clear of the yards and stays as I lower you down. Don’t cling anywhere. I’ll let you down safely.”