"Bury him in the sands, boys," said Merry, when his commander was at
some little distance; "the next tide will unearth him."
The seamen obeyed his orders, while the midshipman rejoined his
commander, who continued to pace along the beach, occasionally halting
to throw his uneasy glances over the water, and then hurrying onward, at
a rate that caused his youthful companion to exert his greatest power to
maintain the post he had taken at his side. Every effort to discover the
lost cockswain was, however, after two hours' more search, abandoned as
fruitless; and with reason, for the sea was never known to give up the
body of the man who might be emphatically called its own dead.
"There goes the sun, already dropping behind the cliffs," said the
lieutenant, throwing himself on a rock; "and the hour will soon arrive
to set the dog-watches; but we have nothing left to watch over, boy; the
surf and rocks have not even left us a whole plank that we may lay our
heads on for the night."
"The men have gathered many articles on yon beach, sir," returned the
lad; "they have found arms to defend ourselves with, and food to give us
strength to use them."
"And who shall be our enemy?" asked Barnstable, bitterly; "shall we
shoulder our dozen pikes, and carry England by boarding?"
"We may not lay the whole island under contribution," continued the boy,
anxiously, watching the expression of his commander's eye; "but we may
still keep ourselves in work until the cutter returns from the frigate.
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