"Is he below?"
"No, sir, no—no Mr De Walden here."
Old Bloody Politeful, kind-hearted soul as he always was, had now also turned out—"Why, Brail, what is all this bother about?"
"My dear Sprawl," said I, greatly excited, "young De Walden is nowhere to be seen."
"Nonsense," rejoined he; "why, he was standing close beside me the whole time we were crossing the bar, even up to the time when I was fool enough to squir my old hat over the masthead."
"And so he was," chimed in Pumpbolt.
"Then beat to quarters," said Mr Lanyard;—"the gallant youngster never missed muster yet—Desire them to beat to quarters, Mr Marline."
"Ay, ay, sir," responded the midshipman. All hands turned out promptly.
"Men," said the lieutenant—"Mr De Walden is missing.—Have any of you seen him?"
"No, sir,—none of us have seen him since the strange schooner struck."