The accommodation ladder was lowered to enable them to descend.
“Now, my precious ones,” cried the major. “Your lives shall be saved at all events, though it’s my belief that the ship will burn to the water’s edge and go down.”
Billy was too busy attending to his duty below to assist his fair friends; indeed, he would not have been sorry to keep out of their way had he known what was taking place.
Mrs Bubsby was the first to descend, helped by two of the crew, who could for a moment be spared to assist her. The eldest daughter went next, when the major descended, supporting Angelica, who, overcome by her feelings, appeared to have fainted. When the crew offered to assist her into the boat, he exclaimed—
“No, no, hands off, I must place her in her mother’s arms,” and stepped in, not without a risk of pitching over into the stern sheets.
Jack, who just then looked over the side, observing that no one else remained to get into the boat, ordered her to shove off.
“But the major is in her, sir,” answered Alick.
“He must not go back to the dreadful ship!” cried Mrs Bubsby, her words being echoed by her daughters, while Angelica, throwing her arms round his neck, held him down. In vain the major struggled, or appeared to struggle, to regain the accommodation ladder, but each time that he made an attempt to get on board, his wife and daughters pulled him back.
While this was going forward, the boat was veered astern by a long warp, and now and then the major attempted to shout, but his wife placed her hand over his mouth, so that his demands to be taken on board were unheeded.
At length, appearing reconciled to his fate, he subsided down and remained quietly with his wife and family, without any further effort to return to the ship.