Supposing that he would do as I told him, I let go at the same moment, when what was my dismay to see Jim dragged away out of his depth.
I swam off to him, still shouting loudly. Presently Soper and Sam Coal came up, and seeing what was happening, dashed into the water. Our united strength, however, could not stop the turtle, and Sam, who had a sharp knife in his pocket, drawing it, cut the rope, and we got Jim back to shore.
The mate rated Jim for losing the rope, though Brown and the rest declared that he had behaved very pluckily, and that if help had come in time we should have saved the turtle. As it was we had turned more than we could carry off.
Having been ordered not to attempt to regain the ship during the night, we turned the boat up and slept under it, while a couple of hands remained outside to watch the turtles and see that they did not manage to get on their feet again and escape.
In the morning we loaded the boat, and pulled back with our prizes.
The mate said nothing about the lost rope, as he knew the notion Brown and the rest had formed of Jim’s courage.
We sighted after this several small islands, and then made the coast of New Guinea.
The captain, seeing a good place for landing, sent a boat ashore with the doctor and most of us who had been engaged in catching turtle.
It seemed a beautiful country, with magnificent trees, and birds flying about in numbers among them.
“This is a perfect paradise,” said the doctor, as we approached the beach.