“Wait and I’ll lower a rope to you,” cried Frank. “Tie it around him and we’ll haul him up!”
“All roight, sor!”
Frank had provided himself with a hundred feet of stout line before leaving the Scorcher. This now came into play.
He lowered it quickly into the pit. In a very few moments Barney gave an answering tug.
“All roight, sor! I have it fast!”
Then another voice was heard below. It was evident that Mains had also recovered his consciousness.
“It’s a hard v’yage, shipmates!” mumbled the sailor. “Fell clean from the maintop into the waist of the ship. Ugh! my back is broken!”
“Be off wid yez!” cried Barney. “Ye’re wuth tin dead min already! Put this line undther yez arms.”
“All right?” asked Frank.
“Yis, sor. Pull away wid yez!”