“Oh, have mercy on my son!” he cried, as they cast the boat adrift. Then feeling that an appeal to such desperadoes was useless, he clasped his hands, and, looking up to Heaven, prayed God, for Christ’s sake, to deliver him from the company of sinful men.
A light breeze was blowing, and the ship, which had been hove-to while the boat was being lowered, soon gathered way, and left the boat behind.
All of a sudden Billy broke away, and, rushing towards the stern, sprang wildly into the sea!
“Down with the helm! heave-to!” shouted some of the men.
“No, no, let the whelp go,” cried others; “besides, he’d be able to peach on us.”
This last argument was all-powerful. The ship held on her course, and Billy was left to his fate.
The moment that Gaff saw him take the leap he seized the oars, and applying all his strength to them, succeeded in catching hold of his son before his struggles had ceased.
Billy was none the worse for his adventure beyond the ducking. Gaff soon wrung the water out of his garments, and then placing him on his knee, sat down to watch the ship as it sailed slowly away.
The captain, who sat in the stern with his chin resting in his hand, and a dark scowl on his face, also watched the retreating vessel.
Soon it glimmered like the wing of a sea-mew on the horizon, and then, just as night began to set in, it disappeared, leaving the boat a solitary speck in the midst of the great wide sea.