Life-preserver

Here is a life-preserver, meant to be thrown into the sea when a sailor falls overboard.

Here's your crowbar / And your centre-bit; / Your life-preserver— / You may want to hit!

But when I gave him every particular that had occurred, he tried to bluster, and took down a life-preserver from the wall. I knew my man, however, and I clapped a pistol to his head before he could strike.

Swimming frantically, each with one arm, we waited for the boat to turn and rescue us. About five minutes passed. Shorty, on the drifting boat, sixty yards away now, was futilely throwing life-preservers toward us.

I was so happy to see them! It was like being thrown a life-preserver in the middle of the ocean.