by the throat and forced him backward. Then both of us pitched forward and his body slipped outward again, while I tried to draw still further back.
A sharp flash of lightning at this instant nearly blinded me, and the report which followed was deafening. Caleb Merkin's hold on me loosened and a roll of the steamer sent me flat on the deck. To keep myself from sliding I knew not whither, I grabbed the netting below the rail. I expected to have the one-armed sailor tackle me again, but—he had disappeared!
Yes, it was true, he had disappeared! Whether he had gone overboard or not I could not tell, but I felt that the chances were nine out of ten that he had landed into the ocean. I strained my eyes in vain to pierce the darkness. I could see absolutely nothing, excepting when another flash of lightning lit up the scene, and then I saw a sight that filled me with horror.
He was floating in the water, some distance back of the steamer. Evidently he was keeping afloat by treading with his feet, and his single hand was waving frantically for assistance.
This was what I saw only for a second—then the blackness of the night blotted out everything, and I found myself struggling to reach the cabin, for it was becoming extremely dangerous to remain outside.
