He made us take you, and it was all we could do to get you aboard." "And Tim ?" "We gave him a rope to lash him to his spar, and lost sight of him." Half-drowned and bruised as I was, this blow sent me back to the bottom of the boat like one already dead.

What had I to live for now?
When I came to myself next a change had come over the scene.

The sea had quieted down, the afternoon sun was striking across the waves, and ahead of us, on the northern horizon, was a low, grey line of coast.
But it was not at that that all eyes were turned, but at a noble-looking ship hove-to in the offing, not a mile away, and flying a signal from her peak.
Our men had sighted her an hour ago, and rigged up an oar with a rag at the end, which the ship had observed.

And what all eyes were now intent on was her pinnace, as she covered the distance between us.
It was always my luck to be rescued when I had least heart for life, and I confess if I had seen the boat capsize that moment I should have been well enough pleased.
But she had no notion of capsizing.

Long before she came up we could see that she was manned by smart English blue-jackets, and belonged to a line-of-battle ship in the king's navy--one of the very ships, no doubt, that Captain Keogh had been so anxious to avoid in Galway Bay.
Half-an-hour later we were on the shining deck of his majesty's ship _Diana_, thirty-eight guns, standing out, with all sails set, for the wide Atlantic.