At a cost of enough water to fill the cutter to the thwarts, the German was hauled into at least temporary safety, and while two men kept the boat head to wind and sea the others baled desperately, using canvas bucket and baler until most of the water was ejected.
Once more the cutter approached the reef, the rowers straining desperately at their oars to recover the lost distance.
"There's another of 'em off," shouted Jack, bawling to make himself heard above the roar of the breakers and the rush of the wind.
A stout German, wearing a pair of canvas trousers only, cast off the ropes that secured him to the deck and leapt into the foaming water. In vain the cutter's crew looked for his reappearance. He was never seen again.
The remaining four, deterred by the fate of their luckless comrade, held on. The Titania's men, rowing frantically the while to keep the boat from being driven to leeward, watched them over their shoulders. Villiers realized that his crew were now almost played out. It looked as if it were a case of the triumph of matter over mind. The men were grimly determined to "stick it", but the ceaseless labour for the last hour at the oars was wearing them out. It was not straightforward rowing, but a constant tussle in confused breaking water and against a furious wind.
The while the bow portion of the Zug was breaking up fast. Alive to the latest danger, the four men, abandoning their position, took to the water. Three of these were picked up, the last not before the cutter had been backed to within half a cable's length of the beach.
Then, with rescued and rescuers almost in the last stage of physical exhaustion, Villiers succeeded in running under the Titania's quarter.
"Only four saved, sir," reported Jack.
"More than I expected," replied Harborough. "Get them below. Dry clothes and hot drinks are what they want. Right-o, Villiers, you turn in; you're in need of a rest, I'm sure."
Jack was. Although he had not had the actual manual labour at the oars, he had been badly knocked about by the buffeting of the boat. One side was black and blue, owing to the tiller thumping his ribs, while his left hand, which was still unhealed of its injuries received during the submarine encounter with the poisonous fish, was now raw and smarting horribly owing to the action of the salt water.