"Boys!" said he, shaking his hand over the bit of massive wood, with
energy, "this spar is of more importance to us than our mother's milk in
infancy. It is our victuals and drink, life and hopes. Let us swear we
will have it in spite of a thousand Arabs. Stoop to your hand-spikes, and
heave at the word--'heave as if you had a world to move,--heave,
men, heave!"

The people obeyed, and the mast advanced more than half the necessary
distance into the water. But the man now called out that the Arabs wore
advancing swiftly towards the ship.

"One more effort, men," said Captain Truck, reddening in the face with
anxiety, and throwing down his hat to set the example in person,--"heave!"

The men hove, and the spar floated.

"Now to your arms, boys, and you, sir, in the top, keep yourself hid
behind the head of the mast. We must be ready to show these gentry we are
not afraid of them." A sign, of the hand told the men in the launch to
haul away, and the all-important spar floated slowly across the bar, to
join the raft.

The men now hurried up to the ship, a post that Captain Truck declared he
could maintain against a whole tribe, while Mr. Dodge began incontinently
to scull the jolly-boat, in the best manner he could, off to the launch.
All remonstrance was useless, as he had got as far as the bar before he
was perceived. Both Sir George Templemore and Mr. Monday loudly denounced
him for deserting the party on the shore in this scandalous manner, but
quite without affect. Mr. Dodge's skill, unfortunately for his success,
did not quite equal his zeal; and finding, when he got on the bar, that he