hand clutched a sponge, in the other an umbrella. With this he
beat at those who blocked his flight. He hit a woman over the
head, and I hit him and he went down. Finding himself on his
knees, be began to pray volubly.

When we reached the upper deck we pushed out of the crush at the
gangway and, to keep our footing, for there was a strong list to
port, clung to the big flag-staff at the stern. At each rail the
crew were swinging the boats over the side, and around each boat
was a crazy, fighting mob. Above our starboard rail towered the
foremast of a schooner. She had rammed us fair amidships, and in
her bows was a hole through which you could have rowed a boat.
Into this the water was rushing and sucking her down. She was
already settling at the stern. By the light of a swinging lantern
I saw three of her crew lift a yawl from her deck and lower it into
the water. Into it they hurled oars and a sail, and one of them
had already started to slide down the painter when the schooner
lurched drunkenly; and in a panic all three of the men ran forward
and leaped to our lower deck. The yawl, abandoned, swung idly
between the Patience and the schooner. Kinney, seeing what I saw,
grabbed me by the arm.

"There!" he whispered, pointing; "there's our chance!" I saw that,
with safety, the yawl could hold a third person, and as to who the
third passenger would be I had already made up my mind.

"Wait here!" I said.

On the Patience there were many immigrants, only that afternoon
released from Ellis Island. They had swarmed into the life-boats