Bonnett gasped and gazed after them for a split second; then, barely pausing to tear off his coat, he plunged over the side.
e tried desperately, but before he could reach either one of the tossing white specks, they were washed beneath the surface and disappeared. Ten minutes later, his uniform bedraggled and shapeless, he pulled himself on deck.
"I'm sorry, sir," he gasped, out of breath. "Sorrier than I can say. I tried—"
Mercer, white-faced and struggling with his emotions, looked down and turned away.
"You don't remember the bearings, I suppose?" he ventured tonelessly.
"I'm sorry—no."
"Thank you, Captain, for trying so hard to recover the papers," said Mercer. "You'd better change at once; the wind is sharp."