"Bugler! call away the second, third, and fourth cutters' crews.

Hands by the tackles!" In less than three minutes the three boats were down; More hands were wanted in one of them, and, among others, I jumped in to make up the deficiency.
"Now, men, give way! and each man look out along his oar, and look sharp!" cried the officer of our boat.

For a time, in perfect silence, we slid up and down the great seething swells of the sea, but saw nothing.
"There, it's no use," cried the officer; "he's gone, whoever he is.
Pull away, men--pull away! they'll be recalling us soon." "Let him drown!" cried the strokesman; "he's spoiled my watch below for me." "Who the devil is he ?" cried another.
"He's one who'll never have a coffin!" replied a third.
"No, no! they'll never sing out, '_All hands bury the dead!_' for him, my hearties!" cried a fourth.
"Silence," said the officer, "and look along your oars." But the sixteen oarsmen still continued their talk; and, after pulling about for two or three hours, we spied the recall-signal at the frigate's fore-t'-gallant-mast-head, and returned on board, having seen no sign even of the life-buoys.
The boats were hoisted up, the yards braced forward, and away we bowled--one man less.
"Muster all hands!" was now the order; when, upon calling the roll, the cooper was the only man missing.
"I told you so, men," cried the Captain of the Head; "I said we would lose a man before long." "Bungs, is it ?" cried Scrimmage, the sheet-anchor-man; "I told him his buoys wouldn't save a drowning man; and now he has proved it!".