As out of the twenty boats lying there not more than two could be at the foot of the ladder together, the conflict was a desperate one.

All the boatmen shouted, "Here, sar.

This good boat, sar.
You come wid me, sar," at the top of their voices, while at the same time they were hard at work pulling each other's boats back and pushing their own forward.

So great was the struggle as Frank and Mr.Goodenough approached the gangway, so great the crowd upon the ladder, that one side of the iron bar from which the ladder chains depend broke in two, causing the ladder to drop some inches and giving a ducking to those on the lower step, causing shouts of laughter and confusion.

These rose into perfect yells of amusement when one of the sailors suddenly loosed the ladder rope, letting five or six of the negroes into the water up to their necks.