She shipped no water yet, and the hulk lurched along without much strain on the rope.

The rope was fastened to a massive iron hook and ran across a curved wooden horse at the tug's stern.

Sometimes it slipped along the horse and tightened with a bang, for the clumsy hulk sheered about.

When her stern went up one saw an indistinct figure holding the wheel.
When they passed the Bar Lightship, Lister climbed to the bridge and for a few minutes looked about.

The plunging red hull to starboard was the last of the Mersey marks, for the North-West ship was hidden by low clouds.