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Table of Contents
Cover
Title
Copyright
Preface
PART 1: Introduction
1 Review of Linear Algebra
1.1. Vector spaces
1.2. Linear mappings
1.3. Matrices
1.4. Determinants
1.5. Scalar product
1.6. Vector norm
1.7. Matrix eigenvectors and eigenvalues
1.8. Using Matlab
2 Numerical Precision
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Machine representations of numbers
2.3. Integers
2.4. Real numbers
2.5. Representation errors
2.6. Determining the best algorithm
2.7. Using Matlab
PART 2: Approximating Functions
3 Polynomial Interpolation
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Interpolation problems
3.3. Polynomial interpolation techniques
3.4. Interpolation with the Lagrange basis
3.5. Interpolation with the Newton basis
3.6. Interpolation using spline functions
3.7. Using Matlab
 4 Numerical Differentiation
4.1. First-order numerical derivatives and the truncation error
4.2. Higher-order numerical derivatives
4.3. Numerical derivatives and interpolation
4.4. Studying the differentiation error
4.5. Richardson extrapolation
4.6. Application to the heat equation
4.7. Using Matlab
5 Numerical Integration
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Rectangle method
5.3. Trapezoidal rule
5.4. Simpson’s rule
5.5. Hermite’s rule
5.6. Newton–Côtes rules
5.7. Gauss–Legendre method
5.8. Using Matlab
PART 3: Solving Linear Systems
6 Matrix Norm and Conditioning
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Matrix norm
6.3. Condition number of a matrix
6.4. Preconditioning
6.5. Using Matlab
7 Direct Methods
7.1. Introduction
7.2. Method of determinants or Cramer’s method
7.3. Systems with upper triangular matrices
7.4. Gaussian method
7.5. Gauss–Jordan method
7.6. LU decomposition
7.7. Thomas algorithm
7.8. Cholesky decomposition
7.9. Using Matlab
 8 Iterative Methods
8.1. Introduction
8.2. Classical iterative techniques
8.3. Convergence of iterative methods
8.4. Conjugate gradient method
8.5. Using Matlab
9 Numerical Methods for Computing Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
9.1. Introduction
9.2. Computing det (A − λI) directly
9.3. Krylov methods
9.4. LeVerrier method
9.5. Jacobi method
9.6. Power iteration method
9.7. Inverse power method
9.8. Givens–Householder method
9.9. Using Matlab
10 Least-squares Approximation
10.1. Introduction
10.2. Analytic formulation
10.3. Algebraic formulation
10.4. Numerically solving linear equations by QR factorization
10.5. Applications
10.6. Using Matlab
PART 4: Appendices
Appendix 1: Introduction to Matlab
A1.1. Introduction
A1.2. Starting up Matlab
A1.3. Mathematical functions
A1.4. Operators and programming with Matlab
A1.5. Writing a Matlab script
A1.6. Generating figures with Matlab
Appendix 2: Introduction to Optimization
A2.1. Introduction
A2.2. Standard results on functions from n to
 A2.3. Optimization without constraints
Bibliography
Index
End User License Agreement

List of Tables
3 Polynomial Interpolation
Table 3.1. Divided differences for Hermite interpolation
8 Iterative Methods
Table 8.1. Results of each iteration of the Jacobi method
Table 8.2. Results of each iteration of the Gauss–Seidel algorithm
Table 8.3. Results of the first seven iterations of the Gauss–Seidel method
Table 8.4. Results of the first seven iterations of the relaxation method

List of Illustrations
3 Polynomial Interpolation
Figure 3.1. Three examples of Lagrange functions
Figure 3.2. The function exp x and its interpolant p(x)
Figure 3.3. Interpolation error relative to the function exp x
Figure 3.4. Cubic spline
Figure 3.5. Newton interpolation
Figure 3.6. Interpolation of sin x between 0 and 3π
Figure 3.7. Interpolation of sin x between 0 and 10
Figure 3.8. Interpolation of cos x between 0 and 10
5 Numerical Integration
Figure 5.1. Illustration of the rectangle method
Figure 5.2. Illustration of the trapezoidal rule
Figure 5.3. Illustration of Simpson’s rule
6 Matrix Norm and Conditioning

Figure 6.1. Geometric illustration of the matrix norm

9 Numerical Methods for Computing Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
Figure 9.1. Three-story building
Figure 9.2. Discretization of the beam
Figure 9.3. The first modes calculated by the script
Appendix 1: Introduction to Matlab
Figure A1.1. Matlab window
Appendix 2: Introduction to Optimization
Figure A2.1. Illustration of global and local minima
Mathematical and Mechanical Engineering Set
coordinated by
Abdelkhalak El Hami

Volume 6

Advanced Numerical Methods with

Matlab® 1
Function Approximation and System Resolution
Bouchaib Radi

Abdelkhalak El Hami
First published 2018 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the
terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at
the undermentioned address:
ISTE Ltd
27-37 St George’s Road
London SW19 4EU
UK
www.iste.co.uk
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
USA
www.wiley.com
© ISTE Ltd 2018
The rights of Bouchaib Radi and Abdelkhalak El Hami to be identified as the authors of this work have been asserted by them
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018930641
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78630-235-9
Preface
Most physical problems can be expressed in the form of mathematical equations (e.g.
differential equations, integral equations). Historically, mathematicians had to find analytic
solutions to the equations encountered in engineering and related fields (e.g. mechanics,
physics, biology). These equations are sometimes highly complex, requiring significant work
to be simplified. However, in the mid-20th Century, the introduction of the first computers gave
rise to new methods for solving equations: numerical methods. This new approach allows us to
solve the equations that we encounter (when constructing models) as accurately as possible,
thereby enabling us to approximate the solutions of the problems that we are studying. These
approximate solutions are typically calculated by computers using suitable algorithms.
Practical experience has shown that, compared to standard numerical approaches, a carefully
planned and optimized methodology can improve the speed of computation by a factor of 100
or even higher. This can transform a completely unreasonable calculation into a perfectly
routine computation, hence our great interest in numerical methods! Clearly, it is important for
researchers and engineers to understand the methods that they are using and, in particular, the
limitations and advantages associated with each approach. The computations needed by most
scientific fields require techniques to represent functions as well as algorithms to calculate
derivatives and integrals, solve differential equations, locate zeros, find the eigenvectors and
eigenvalues of a matrix, and much more.
The objective of this book is to present and study the fundamental numerical methods that
allow scientific computations to be executed. This involves implementing a suitable
methodology for the scientific problem at hand, whether derived from physics (e.g.
meteorology, pollution) or engineering (e.g. structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, signal
processing).
This book is divided into three parts, with two appendices. Part 1 introduces numerical
processing by reviewing a few basic notions of linear algebra. Part 2 discusses how to
approximate functions, in three chapters: numerical interpolation, differentiation and
integration. Part 3 presents various methods for solving linear systems: direct methods,
iterative methods, the method of eigenvalues and eigenvectors and, finally, the method of least-
squares.
Each chapter starts with a brief overview of relevant theoretical concepts and definitions, with
a range of illustrative numerical examples and graphics. At the end of each chapter, we
introduce the reader to the various Matlab commands for implementing the methods that have
been discussed. As is often the case, practical applications play an essential role in
understanding and mastering these methods. There is little hope of being able to assimilate
them without the opportunity to apply them to a range of concrete examples. Accordingly, we
will present various examples and explore them with Matlab. These examples can be used as
a starting point for practical exploration.
Matlab is currently widely used in teaching, industry and research. It has become a standard
tool in various fields thanks to its integrated toolboxes (e.g. optimization, statistics, control,
image processing). Graphical interfaces have been improved considerably in recent versions.
One of our appendices is dedicated to introducing readers to Matlab.

Bouchaib RADI
Abdelkhalak EL HAMI

January 2018
PART 1
Introduction
1
Review of Linear Algebra
We will denote the fields of real and complex numbers by and respectively. If there is no
need to distinguish between them, we will instead simply refer to the field of scalars. The
set E, equipped with the two operations of addition and scalar multiplication, denotes a vector
space over (or a -vector space).

1.1. Vector spaces

1.1.1. General definitions
DEFINITION.– A vector space over the field is a set E equipped with the two following
operations:
– addition, which equips E with the structure of a commutative group;
– an “outer” product of an element of E by an element of , satisfying the following
properties:
- λ, μ , x E : (λμ)x = λ(μx);
- λ, μ , x E : (λ + μ)x = λx + μx;
- λ , λ( x + y) = λx + λy;
- x E : 1x = x (where 1 is the identity element of ).
The elements of E are called vectors.
DEFINITION.– Let F be a subset of the vector space E. F is a vector subspace of E if it is
closed under the operations of E. In other words:
– x, y F, x + y F;
– λ , x F, λx F.
DEFINITION.– Let E be a - vector space, and suppose that F and G are two vector
subspaces of E.
1) The sum of F and G, written as F + G, is defined as the set:

This is a vector subspace of E.

2) F + G is said to be a direct sum if F ∩ G = {0}. If so, we write this sum as F G.
3) If we also have that E = F G, we say that F and G are supplementary subspaces.
THEOREM.– Suppose that F and G are supplementary. Then, for every element x of E, there
exists a unique pair (y, z) in F × G such that x = y + z.

1.1.2. Free families, generating families and bases

DEFINITION.– Let B = {x1, …, xp} be a family of vectors in E.
– We say that B is related if one of its vectors is a linear combination of the others, i.e.:

– We say that B is free if it is not related, in which case its vectors are said to be linearly
independent.
– We say that B is a generating family of E (or generates E) if every element of E is a
linear combination of the elements of B.
DEFINITION.– A family B = {e1, …, ep} of elements in a vector space E is said to be a basis
of E if it is free and generates E.
The canonical basis is one particular example of a basis, which is defined as follows:
DEFINITION.– The canonical basis is the basis of vectors {ei}i=1…n such that the j-th
element of ei is 0 except when i = j, in which case it is equal to 1.
Thus, every vector x in n may be decomposed with respect to the canonical basis as follows:

THEOREM.– In a vector space generated by a finite family of elements, every basis has the
same number of elements.
DEFINITION.– The dimension of a vector space E generated by a finite family is defined as
the number of elements in any given basis of E. This value is denoted as “dim E”.
In any vector space with finite dimension n, we always use the same basis, B = {e1, …, en}.
Thus, each vector x of E may be uniquely decomposed with respect to B as follows:

The element X = (x1, …, xn) in n may therefore be unambiguously chosen as a representation

of x.
THEOREM.– Let E be an n-dimensional vector space, and suppose that F and G are two
vector subspaces of E. Then:
1) every free family of n vectors is a basis;
 2) every generating family of n vectors is a basis;
3) dim F ≤ dim E;
4) if F ∩ G = {0}, then dim F + dim G ≤ dim E;
5) in particular, if E = F G, then dim F + dim G = dim E.

1.2. Linear mappings

DEFINITION.– Let E and F be two vector spaces over the field K. A mapping u: E → F is
said to be a linear mapping if it satisfies the following properties:
– u(x + y) = u(x)+ u(y) x, y E;
– u(λx) = λu(x) x E, λ K.
The set of linear mappings from E to F is denoted as (E, F ).
The linear mappings are the mappings that preserve the vector space structure.
DEFINITION.–
1) The kernel of u, written as Ker(u), is the vector subspace of E defined by:

2) The image of u, written as Im(u), is the vector subspace of F defined by:

THEOREM.–
– u is injective if and only if Ker(u) = {0}.
– u is surjective if and only if Im(u) = F.
DEFINITION.– Let IE (respectively IF) be the identity mapping of E (respectively F). The
linear mapping u from E to F is said to be invertible if there exists a linear mapping u−1
from F to E such that:

[1.1]

It follows that every invertible linear mapping is bijective, i.e. injective and surjective.
THEOREM.– Let u (E, F). The following are equivalent:
– u is injective;
– u is surjective;
– u is bijective.
THEOREM.– Let u (E, F ) and suppose that B = {e1, …, en} is a basis of E. Then:
– if u is injective, {u(e1),…, u(en)} is a basis of Im(u);
– if u is surjective, {u(e1),…, u(en)} is a generating family of F;
– the following relation holds:

DEFINITION.– The rank of a linear mapping, denoted as “rank u”, is the dimension of
Im(u).

1.3. Matrices
In this section, E, F and G are three vector spaces over the field , with finite dimensions n, p
and q respectively. The families BE = {e1, …, en}, BF = {f1, …, fp} and BG = {g1, …, gq} are
the bases of E, F and G.
DEFINITION.– Let u (E, F ). The matrix of u with respect to the bases BE and BF is
defined as an array A of scalars (i.e. elements of ) with p rows and n columns such that the
j-th column of A is given by the components of the vector u(ej ) with respect to the basis BF.
If aij is the element of A at the intersection of the i-th row and the j-th column, then:

[1.2]

The matrix A, which has p rows and n columns, is said to be of format or type (p, n), or is
called a p × n (p-by-n) matrix.
It does not make much sense to prove results on matrices without referring to the linear
mappings that they represent. We will use this link between mappings and matrices to define
operations on matrices.

1.3.1. Operations on matrices

DEFINITION.– Let A and B be two p × n matrices. The sum A + B of A and B is the p × n
matrix C with coefficients cij defined by:

The matrix C thus obtained is the matrix of the linear mapping obtained by summing the two
linear mappings represented by A and B.
Similarly, we define the product of a scalar λ and a matrix A as the matrix λA obtained by
multiplying each coefficient of A by λ. The set of matrices with p rows and n columns is a
vector space, written as p,n() (or simply p,n when the underlying field is explicit).

DEFINITION.– Let u (F, G) and v (E, F ). Define w = u ◦ v (and therefore v (E,

G)). Let A be the matrix of u with respect to the bases BF and BG, and B the matrix of v with
respect to the bases BE and BF. By definition, the matrix of w with respect to the bases BE
and BG is equal to the product of A and B, written as AB.
THEOREM.– Let A n,p and B p,q , and define C = AB. Then, C n,q and its
elements are given by the formula:

[1.3]

DEFINITION.– The matrix A is said to be invertible (or regular or non-singular) if the

linear mapping associated with A is invertible. If A n,n is invertible, then there exists an
inverse matrix, denoted as A−1, such that:

where I is the identity matrix in n,n .

Properties
If the matrices A, B and C have dimensions that allow them to be multiplied, then, given any α
, the following relations hold:
– C(A + B) = CA + CB;
– (A + B)C = AC + BC;
– A(BC) = (AB)C = ABC;
– α(AB) = (αA)B = A(αB).

1.3.2. Change-of-basis matrices

DEFINITION.– Let E be an n-dimensional vector space equipped with a basis BE = {e1, …,
en}. Consider another basis of E, denoted as . The change-of-basis
matrix is defined as the matrix P whose columns are the components of the elements of
with respect to the original basis BE. Therefore:

We cannot directly calculate the new components of a vector as a function of its original
components using the change-of-basis matrix. Suppose that:

Let X be the vector in n formed by the components of x with respect to the original basis BE,
and write X′ for the vector in n formed by the components of x with respect to the new basis
. It can be shown that:

or, in other words, noting that change-of-basis matrices are always invertible:

THEOREM.– Suppose that u (E, E) has the matrix A with respect to the basis BE. Then,
the matrix A′ of u with respect to the basis satisfies the following formula:

Change-of-basis operations are extremely important in practice, since they allow square
matrices to be expressed in more “favorable” forms (diagonal, upper triangular or lower
triangular structure).

1.3.3. Matrix notations

For any A p,n , we will adopt the following notation, unless otherwise stated:
– Aj is the j-th column of the matrix A, which can therefore be represented by:

– AT is the transpose of the matrix A (obtained by switching the rows and columns of A).
Thus, AT n,p and:

– If A np (), we write Ā for the complex conjugate matrix of A (whose coefficients are
the complex conjugates of the coefficients of A).
– If A is a square matrix (p = n), we define the trace of A to be the sum of its diagonal
elements:
 – We write D = diag(d1, …, dn) for the diagonal matrix D.
– Every vector in n may be identified with an n × 1 matrix (with n rows and one single
column). If X is a column vector, then XT is a row vector (a 1 × n matrix, with one single
row and n columns).
DEFINITION.– Any matrix A n,n satisfying:

is called a symmetric matrix, in which case AT = A.

1.4. Determinants
To define the notion of determinant, we require the notions of permutation and signature, so we
will present them first.
DEFINITION.– Let In = {1, 2,…, n}. A permutation is a bijective mapping from In to itself. A
transposition is a permutation that only exchanges two consecutive elements (we write τj for
the permutation that exchanges j and j +1).
We write n for the set of permutations of In. Every permutation may be written as a product
of transpositions. This product is not unique, but the number of transpositions in any given
decomposition always has the same parity.
DEFINITION.– The signature of a permutation σ is defined as the value sign(σ), which is +1
if the permutation may be decomposed into an even number of transpositions, and −1
otherwise.
DEFINITION.– The determinant of a matrix A nn , written as det(A), is the number:

[1.4]

There are only finitely many permutations of a finite set, and the cardinal of n is finite.
Therefore, the sum in formula [1.4] is finite.
Properties
The most important properties of determinants are as follows:

1)
2) det(A) = det(AT );
 3) .
4) The mapping that sends any given column of A to the determinant of A is linear. In
particular, if one of the columns of A is a linear combination of the others, then det(A) = 0.
The mapping that sends the columns of the matrix A to the determinant of A is an alternating
multilinear mapping. The multilinearity of this mapping follows from the aforementioned
property 4. Hence:

This mapping is said to be an alternating mapping because, by the aforementioned property 3,

permuting any two consecutive columns of the matrix changes the sign of the determinant.
Properties
1) In general, det(A + B) ≠ det(A)+ det(B).
2) Let A and B be two matrices in nn . Then:

Let A nn (K). We write A|i,j| n−1,n−1(K) for the minor of A obtained by deleting the i-th
row and the j-th column. In “practice”, determinants are usually calculated using the following
result:
THEOREM.– The determinant can be calculated by expanding along a column:

[1.5]

Alternatively, we can also expand along rows using an analogous formula, by the
aforementioned property 2.
DEFINITION.– The scalar (−1)i+j det (A|i,j|) is said to be the cofactor of the element aij . The
matrix of cofactors is called the comatrix, which is written as co(A).
THEOREM.– A square matrix A is invertible (or regular or non-singular) if and only if its
determinant is non-zero. If so, the inversion formula may be written as:

[1.6]

1.5. Scalar product

DEFINITION.– A scalar product on E is a mapping from E × E to :
satisfying the following properties:

– ;
– ;
– ;

– ;
–
LEMMA.– The scalar product is a symmetric bilinear form on E.

1.6. Vector norm

The norm of a vector may be defined in several different ways. The most common is, of
course, the Euclidean norm of a vector :

Geometrically, this norm represents the length of the vector. However, norms are defined more
generally.

DEFINITION.– The mapping (here, E is a real vector space) is said to be a

vector norm if the following properties hold:

1)

2)

3)
It can easily be verified that the Euclidean norm defined above satisfies these properties. As
mentioned above, we can define several different norms on the same vector space. One well-
known example of norms on n is the family of p-norms. Given any vector the p-norms are
defined as follows:
When p = 2, we recover the definition of the Euclidean norm. Another example is the infinity
norm, which is defined as follows:

The infinity norm is one of the most widely used norms, together with the 2-norm and the 1-
norm. Other more exotic norms can also be defined (e.g. elliptic norms); however, we will
simply work with the norms defined above.

EXAMPLE.– The 1-norm, 2-norm and ∞-norm of the vector may be calculated
as follows:

This example shows that different norms can take different values.

1.7. Matrix eigenvectors and eigenvalues

1.7.1. Definitions and properties
Throughout the rest of this section, E denotes a vector space over .
DEFINITION.– Let u (E, E). We say that λ is an eigenvalue of u if there exists a
non-zero vector such that:

[1.7]
The vector is said to be an eigenvector of the eigenvalue λ.
With respect to any given basis of E, the linear mapping u may be represented by a matrix A
n
nn , and the eigenvector y may be represented by an element Y of C . Therefore:

This allows us to introduce the following definition:

DEFINITION.– Let A nn (). We say that λ is an eigenvalue of A if there exists a
non-zero Y Cn such that:
 [1.8]
The vector Y is said to be an eigenvector of A for the eigenvalue λ.
THEOREM.– The complex number λ is an eigenvalue of A if and only if:

[1.9]
If A is not invertible, then 0 is an eigenvalue of A.
DEFINITION.– The characteristic polynomial of A, written as PA(s), is the polynomial:

[1.10]

THEOREM.– By d’Alembert’s theorem on the roots of a polynomial, every n×n square

matrix has n eigenvalues (counted with multiplicity). By writing λ1, …, λp for the p distinct
roots of the polynomial and ni for the multiplicity of λi, it follows that:

[1.11]

Note that the characteristic polynomial is fully determined by the eigenvalues of A, which are
also the eigenvalues of the linear mapping represented by this matrix. Therefore:
DEFINITION.– Let u (E, E). The characteristic polynomial of u, written as Pu, is
defined as the characteristic polynomial of any matrix representing u with respect to any
given basis of E.
THEOREM.– Let u (E, E). The trace of u, written as tr(u), is defined by either of the
following two equivalent conditions:
– tr(u) = tr(A), where A is an arbitrary matrix representing u;

– where λi, i = 1,…, n are the n (possibly non-distinct) eigenvalues of u.

THEOREM.– Let y be an eigenvector of A with the eigenvalue λ. Then, equivalently:
– λ is an eigenvalue of AT (however, the corresponding eigenvector is not y in general);
– is an eigenvalue of Ā and is the corresponding eigenvector;
– if R n,n (K) is invertible, then λ is an eigenvalue of R−1 AR.

1.7.2. Matrix diagonalization

THEOREM.– Let A be a matrix, and suppose that Y = {Y1, …, Yn} is a basis of eigenvectors
of A with possibly non-distinct eigenvalues λ1, …, λn. Let T be the change-of-basis matrix
from the canonical basis of Cn to Y. Consider the matrix D defined by:

[1.12]
Then, D is a diagonal matrix with eigenvalues along the diagonal. We write that:

[1.13]

THEOREM.– If the eigenvalues of A are all distinct, then their eigenvectors form a basis.
DEFINITION.– Two square matrices A and B are said to be similar if there exists an
invertible matrix U such that:

A matrix is said to be diagonalizable if it is similar to a diagonal matrix, or triangularizable if

it is similar to a triangular matrix.

1.7.3. Triangularization of matrices

In the case where there does not exist a basis of eigenvectors, we can still write the matrix of u
in a triangular form in by performing a change of basis.
THEOREM.– For every u (E, E), there exists a basis of E with respect to which the
matrix T of u is triangular, with the eigenvalues of u along the diagonal.
The above theorem states that we can use a change of basis to express every matrix in a
triangular form in . This does not hold in general in .

1.8. Using Matlab

Matlab allows us to define arrays or matrices of complex numbers in the same way as arrays
or matrices of real numbers:

We can also perform arithmetic operations on matrices:

A matrix of order 0 is a scalar, and a matrix of order 1 is a vector. This vector can be either a
row vector or a column vector.
>>x=[1,2,3,4]

x =
1 2 3 4

Alternatively:
>>x=[0 1 2 3]

also returns a row vector. For example, x(2) = 1.

>>x=[1 ;2 ;3 ;4]
x =
1
2
3
4
>>x=[0 ;1 ;2 ;3]’

returns a row vector.

>>x=[0 1 2 3]’

returns a column vector.

REMARK.– In Matlab, the row and column indices always start at 1 rather than 0, unlike in
other programming languages. Thus, x(0) is not defined.
A matrix of order greater than 1 is a two-dimensional matrix. For example:
>>x=[0 :2 ;4 :6]
x =
0 1 2
 4 5 6

This is a matrix with 2 rows and 3 columns.

>>y=[0 :2 ;4 :6]’
y =
0 4
1 5
2 6

The size of the matrix y is returned by the size function:

>>size(y)
ans =
3 2

The answer returned is 3 rows and 2 columns. The j-th column of the matrix x is returned by
y(:,j). For example, when j = 2, we have y(:,2)= 4 5 6. The i-th row of the matrix x is returned
by y(i,:). For i = 2, we have y(2,:)= 1 5.
Given an n × n square matrix A, the corresponding identity matrix is returned by the eye
function. For example, for n = 3, we have:
>>A=[1:3;4:6;7:9]
A =
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
>>eye(size(A))

ans =
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1

eye(size(A)) returns the identity matrix with the same dimensions as A.

Consider the row matrix (row vector) x=[2 15 0]. The function sort(x) returns a row matrix
whose elements have been sorted into increasing order:
>>sort(x)
ans =
0 2 15

sort(x’) returns a column matrix whose elements have been sorted into increasing order:
>>sort(x’)
ans =
0
2
15

sum(x) calculates the sum of the column elements of the matrix x:

Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
Jim had never been aboard a vessel under similar circumstances, and
had therefore never experienced the confusion which follows a
collision. He had read of such affairs, and had marvelled at the
wonderful coolness and discipline maintained in some cases. Then he
had heard of very opposite results, where men had lost their heads,
and where they had fought, each for his own individual safety, as if
they were wild beasts. Remembering the class of individual who had
taken passage aboard this coaster, he could not help but wonder
whether discipline would be maintained on this occasion. The shouts,
the babel of sounds coming from the stern, seemed to indicate the
opposite.
"See here, Tom," he said, when he had listened for a while. "You and
Ching will stay right here by this boat, taking care of Sadie. Just give
a look to the tackle, swing her out, and put all the grub on board.
Best put Sadie there also. Sam and I'll get along right now to see
what's being done. The captain maybe'll want some help. Those
fellows along there appear to be fighting like demons."
"Den you git along, sah. Me and Sadie'll be all right. Ching Hu, yo
Chinaboy, jest you hoist dat cask aboard, and mind yo don't let um
tumble."
That was the best of the huge negro; he could be depended upon to
keep his head, while his devotion to Sadie was without question. Jim
felt no qualms as to his sister's security as he dashed forward again,
Sam close at his heels. A minute later he met a little group coming
towards him swiftly. It was the captain of the vessel, with his two
officers, and some half-dozen men.
"It's a case with us," Jim heard him say as the group came to a halt.
"She'll be down in half an hour, and that don't give us too much time
to get ready. Mr. Jarvis, jest hop down to the engine room and tell
'em all to come up. Quartermaster, guess you'd best make a round of
all the cabins; there's time for that, and we want to see that no one's
left. You others had best come along with me: we've got to fix those
fellows aft. They tell me they're fighting like rats to get the boats out.
We'll have to stop 'em. Glad I am there's so few women aboard.
What about the young lady amidships?"
"She's safe, Captain," broke in Jim at once. "I've put her in charge of
one of my negroes and the Chinaman. She's been placed in the boat
by the companion, and we've got food and drink there also. I'm
ready to come along and help you aft."
There was a lantern swinging in the captain's hand. He lifted it coolly,
for there was no trace of flurry about this solid-looking man, and
closely scrutinized Jim's features.
"Gee!" he exclaimed, reaching out to shake his hand. "You're the sort
of chap a skipper's glad to know. You've seen to the safety of the
sister, as is only right, and now you come along shoulder to shoulder
with us. Guess there'll be bad trouble back there."
"Guess there will," answered Jim. "They're fighting, if one can judge
by the noise."
"Jest like tigers, and they'll take some quelling. Look here; get a hold
of anything handy and don't stand no nonsense. We can't afford to
take lip from any of those Spaniards. Ef a man shows a knife, lay him
flat on the deck. Come along."
He led the way swiftly along the deck, and the handful of men with
him followed closely, picking up any likely weapon as they went. Jim
possessed himself of an axe handle. It was long, and moderately
heavy, while sufficiently tough to withstand any blow. He swung it up
over his shoulder and took his place beside the captain and his mate.
In a minute they had arrived at the rail from which one overlooked
the small waist of the vessel, where the steerage passengers were
accommodated. An oil lamp hung from the boom, which was housed
in its crutches over the waist, and the feeble rays served to show
what was happening. There were a couple of boats on either side of
the deck, and about these a seething mass of men fought. Without
knowledge of the sea, having no idea how to swing the boats out,
and no order or method, the result of the frantic efforts of these
foreign workmen had been disastrous in one case at least. One of the
boats hung suspended from the tackles, while its stern washed in the
water below, spars and oars and sails having been tumbled out of it.
The other three still hung in their davits, and had been hoisted by the
tackles from the crutches placed between their keels and the decks.
As the captain and his men arrived, some of the men below were
tugging at the tackles, while others were cutting the canvas covers of
the boats adrift with their knives. In one corner of the waist of the
ship three women were huddled, two men being engaged in a
desperate fight within three feet of them.
"Down below there!" bellowed the captain. "Stand away from those
boats."
 "STAND AWAY FROM THOSE BOATS"

He might have spoken to a party of dead men for all the effect his
words had. The frantic individuals down below seemed not to have
heard them. They still went on with the work of preparing the boats,
though it was clear to everyone that, what with their eagerness and
their utter selfishness, the hoisting out, if left to them, would end
only in disaster.
"Down below there, you dogs!" shouted the captain. "Stand away
there! Fall in in the centre of the deck."
He repeated his words in Spanish, for a skipper who sails those seas
soon acquires a considerable vocabulary; but his orders fell upon deaf
ears only, and all the while time was flying, the ship was settling, the
moment when she would founder was drawing dangerously nearer.
"Guess we've got to fix 'em in our own way," said the captain, turning
on his little party. "See here, we'll get down this port ladder, beat the
men back from the two boats there, and then tackle the others. Jest
keep close together, and ef there's opposition don't be too gentle.
This ain't the time for gentleness; they'll understand hard knocks
when there ain't anything else that'll knock sense into their silly
heads."
He led the way promptly, looking in the feeble rays of his own
lantern, and that suspended from the boom, a regular commander.
With his clear-cut but anxious features, his peaked beard and short
moustaches, this skipper gave one the impression of power, of
coolness, and of courage. Indeed he was just the sort of man
required in such an emergency, for he inspired his followers with
confidence, and took his post at their head as a matter of course.
The mate slid down the ladder immediately on his heels and Jim took
the whole flight in one bound.
"Now," said the captain.
"Lummy! Dis someting like, dis am," murmured Sam, his eager little
face looking up into Jim's. The diminutive negro had armed himself
with an enormous stake which he had discovered in some odd corner,
and he flourished it. There was a little grin on his face, while his
sharp teeth flashed. In fact, in one brief moment, the negro, who had
always worked so well and so quietly, who had never displayed any
pugnacity or traces of excitement, had become an altered individual.
There was a something about him which seemed to say that fighting
was a pursuit which pleased him, that he was longing for the fray.
But by now the whole party was gathered in the waist. The captain
led them to the port boats, flinging aside all who stood in his path. In
fact, to clear the Spaniards into the centre of the deck was no difficult
matter. They were so absorbed in their task that they were taken by
surprise. But a moment or two later, when they found a group of
resolute-looking men lined up between them and the boats, which
seemed to be their only hope of safety, the frantic people became
furious and desperate.
"Two of you men just see that the tackles are free and all ready for
hoisting," said the captain, his eye on the passengers. "We've got
trouble to meet here, and when it's over we shall want to get the
boats out precious slippy. Ah, you would, would you?"
In the short space of time which had elapsed since he had come to
the waist the fury of the Spaniards had risen perceptibly. It wanted
only a maddened leader now to turn the whole pack upon the captain
and his men; and, in a trice, the man made his appearance. A huge
fellow, with glittering ear-rings, whipped something from his belt and
snarled at the captain. Then, with a shout as if he were a maddened
beast, he dashed forward, a huge dagger held before him.
"I've got more of that for the likes of you," said the captain, stepping
swiftly forward and meeting the man with a terrific blow from his fist.
Indeed the Spaniard turned a half-somersault, and landed with a
thud on the deck. But his mates were too desperate to notice his
discomfiture; they came at the little band in a mob, and in a moment
Jim and his comrades were fully engaged. A little active man bent low
and ran in at our hero, while the latter caught the glint of something
bright in his hand. Crash! The staff with which he had provided
himself fell on the Spaniard's head and sent him sprawling. Bang!
Sam's ponderous weapon missed the mark at which it was aimed and
struck the deck heavily. Next instant the negro was locked in the
arms of one of the attackers and was rolling with him on the decks.
But Jim had no time to watch him, nor opportunity of assisting, for
the horde of men threw themselves on him and his comrades
furiously. One managed to come to close quarters with him and
struck with his knife; but the blade did not reach his person. A quick
leap to one side saved him. Then the staff swung downwards and the
man collapsed.
"A rare blow, lad. A rare one!" shouted the captain. "Boys, we'll be
moving forward."
But the command was easier to give than to obey. Not all the efforts
of the little party could make an impression. It seemed as if the
captain would be defeated in his efforts to control the boats. But
suddenly others arrived on the scene. It was the engine hands,
headed by an enormous negro. Was it wonderful that Tom should itch
to join in the fray? He had seen his mistress into a place of safety and
had left Ching to guard her. Then, realizing that instant victory in this
struggle could alone save everyone on board, he had led the
engineering staff down the companion.
"By de poker! not stand quiet and 'low boats to be hoisted out," he
bellowed, forcing his way to the front. "Not 'bey de captain and help
when de ship sinkin'. By de poker, but dis not go on! Yo, what yo
doin'?"
He seized a man who rushed at him, as if he were merely a child,
twisted him round till his feet were in the air, and threw him back at
his comrades. Then, smiling all the while, he rushed at the attackers,
regardless of their knives, striking them down in all directions.
"Hooray! Now, boys," shouted the captain, "that darkie's done it for
us fine. Beat 'em back; there's still time to mend matters."
Bunched together, and led by Tom, the little party threw themselves
upon the Spaniards, striking right and left remorselessly. And in the
space of a few seconds they had borne them back as far as the
bulkhead, above which was the poop.
"If some of you men don't drop those knives precious quick I'll know
why," commanded the skipper.
"By de poker—yes! Tom know why, yo bet!"
The huge negro strode in front of all, his big fists doubled, his head
thrust forward as if he were a bull about to charge. His eye fell upon
the rascal who had begun the attack, and who, meanwhile, had
recovered his senses. There was a dagger in the villain's hand, and
Tom did not fail to see it. In a trice he had pounced upon the man.
"What yo not obey for?" he demanded wrathfully. "Yo not hear de
cap'n say yo to drop all knives? By de poker, but in two seconds yo
sorry yo ever born! Yo drop that knife."
There was no disobeying such an order. Tom seized the Spaniard,
gripped him with both powerful hands, and shook him till the man's
head threatened to fall from his shoulders. Then he turned and
grinned at the captain.
"Ready now to do as yo order, Cap'n," he smiled. "S'pose yo say fall
in half here and half dere, get ready to haul on tackle. Dey ready to
do as yo say."
"George, you're a real treasure! You're a brave man, Tom. Jest get
'em ranged up in order, and quick with it. Young sir, I'll be obliged ef
you'll help him."
He nodded to Jim, left three of the men to stand by him, and at once
turned to the boats. As for the Spaniards, Tom's huge frame and the
prowess he had already displayed seemed to cow them. They obeyed
his orders with alacrity, and were soon ranged up in two lines. By
then their aid was wanted.
"Yo jest get to dem tackles yo in dat row," commanded Tom. "Haul
when you told. If one ob yo try to get into de boats before I say yo
can, me carve yo into little pieces—so."
He brandished an enormous knife, which he had picked up from the
deck, and showed his teeth. The result might have been anticipated,
for the passengers who had been fighting like a pack of beasts but a
few moments before were absolutely cowed. They would rather face
drowning than the anger of this terrible negro. It followed, therefore,
that, now that they were helping in the task, the boats were swiftly
swung out.
"Put the women aboard this one," said the captain. "We'll lower them
with the boat. The others can go down by a rope ladder; it's smooth,
thank goodness, or things would be worse. Now, lads, quick with it;
she won't swim much longer."
Riot and fury had now been replaced by order and calm method. One
by one the boats were lowered, passengers entered, and a crew was
placed aboard. Moreover the purser and his men found time to make
a raid on the stores, so that each boat was victualled. As for Sadie,
she and Ching sat in the boat lowered from amidships, and waited
anxiously for her brother and the others. Presently they came, the
captain being the last to step over the rail. By then the decks forward
were awash, while the stern of the vessel was pitched high in the air.
Her propeller was plainly visible, lifted clear of the water.
"She'll plunge in a few moments. Best get clear away," said the
captain. "The other ship, I hear, is foundering also. We'll have to
stand by till morning. Is everyone with us?"
The answer had hardly left the mate's lips when there came a cry
from Sadie. Her finger shot out, and in a moment all saw the object
which had attracted her attention. It was the figure of a man
standing on the sinking steamer. Instantly a groan escaped the
captain.
"Couldn't risk going back for him," he said; "he must swim for it."
"But he's disabled; he's the man with a broken arm," sang out Jim.
"He couldn't swim if you paid him to."
"Can't help it; I've the boat's crew to think of," declared the captain,
shaking his head sadly. "That ship's on the point of diving; we're too
close as it is. If I go nearer we risk the lives of all, your sister's into
the bargain."
"A fact," cried the mate emphatically. "The skipper's saying only
what's true."
"Ah! I thought she was going then!" shouted one of the crew aboard
the boat, seeing the steamer lurch suddenly. "'Tain't more'n a matter
of seconds."
"Then I'll chance being in time; I'm going for him."
Jim tore off his coat, and kicked his shoes away. Before they realized
his intentions he had stepped on to the gunwale, and had plunged
head foremost into the sea.
 CHAPTER III
Jim Partington shows his Mettle
"Come back, lad," shouted the captain, as Jim's heels disappeared
beneath the surface of the ocean. Then he rose quickly to his feet,
and, gripping the gunwale of the rocking boat with both hands, he
stared through the gloom at the sinking ship, and at the solitary
figure now clinging to the rail amidships. Indeed the unhappy
individual who had been accidentally left on the foundering vessel
showed that he was in almost as frantic a condition as had been the
Spanish workmen, when fighting in the waist for possession of the
boats. He was waving the one arm which was uninjured vigorously,
and as Jim set out in his direction he was seen to throw one leg over
the rail, to clamber with difficulty upon it, then to sit there holding
desperately, and looking as though every movement of the ship
would cast him into the water.
"She's a going! Gee! did yer see her lurch then? My, I thought she
was under!"
The deck hand who had shouted the words threw up his hands in the
direction of the steamer, and turned a pair of startled, staring eyes
upon her. There was good reason for his alarming observation, for at
that moment the foundering vessel rolled heavily from side to side, as
if she found her position irksome. Then she dipped her nose still
deeper into the ocean, kicking her stern clear of the water till ten feet
of her dripping keel were visible, and until her decks were at such a
steep angle that none but an acrobat could have retained his position
on them. Indeed the unfortunate individual clinging to the rail was
swung from his insecure seat, and, falling backwards, crashed on to
the deck and slithered down it till one of the bridge pillars arrested
his progress.
"Holy poker, but dat near shave, I guess! Massa Jim, what yo doin'
dat for? Yo's mad! Yo's goin' to drown yo'self!" shouted Tom, rising to
his feet so rapidly that his huge bulk set the ship's boat rocking
dangerously.
"Drown himself! He's jest committing suicide! I tell you, he's bound to
go under," growled the captain, who, if the truth had only been
known, felt himself so strongly impelled to leap into the sea and help
in this foolhardy but gallant effort at rescue that it was only by
exercising the greatest self-control that he was able to hold himself in
check.
"If I wasn't skipper I'd do it," he cried. "But it would be a fool's game.
Besides, I've got to remember that I'm in charge of this expedition."
Meanwhile Jim's head had burst from the surface of the water, and
the plucky lad was forcing his way towards the sinking vessel with
powerful strokes. He gave no heed to the shouts and calls of those
behind him, not even when Sadie, beside herself with anxiety, rose
from her seat in the stern of the boat and shrieked to him to return
instantly.
"I'll do it, or go under," he told himself grimly. "A sinking ship ain't
going to frighten me. Guess a chap couldn't float out there in safety
and see a man drowned before his eyes, especially a man that's
unable to fend for himself."
Though the water dripped into his eyes from his hair, and made
seeing difficult, he, too, had observed the terrific lurch which the
foundering vessel had just given; and if he had had any doubts as to
her true condition they were instantly set aside by the mass of her
stern elevated in such an ungainly manner into the air.
"Aboard there!" he shouted; "jump over into the water. She is going
down."
Thanks to an oil lantern which still hung amidships, below the bridge,
he could see the man for whose rescue he was striving, and as he
thrust his way strenuously through the water he watched the injured
passenger pick himself up on hand and knees and struggle towards
the rail. He wedged his feet against a stanchion supporting the latter,
and as Jim arrived within a few yards of the vessel, the man was
again endeavouring to clamber over the rail.
Then there came, of a sudden, another sluggish lurch. The ship
appeared to shiver throughout her framework, and rolled heavily
from side to side. A moment later her bows rose rapidly from the
ocean in which they had been submerged, while the stern regained
almost its normal position. It looked, in fact, as if she were making
one last gallant effort to float upon the surface. But again she rolled
heavily from side to side, till her decks were slanting at a sickening
angle, greater indeed than that to which Jim and his mates had
become accustomed when cruising to the south along the Caribbean
coast.
"By de power, but dat terrific, dat 'nough to shake de life out of
anybody," muttered Tom, whose eyes all this while had been staring
into the gloom, endeavouring to follow every movement of his young
American master. Indeed, so acute was the vision of the dusky giant
that details were visible to him, and to Sam, his diminutive brother,
which others aboard the boat had no idea of. "Lummy, but Tom not
like to see dat ship shake herself so! She go down with a bust in one
little moment, and den—and den, what happen to Massa Jim?"
The very thought of the disaster which would follow drove the negro
into a condition almost of frenzy. His eyes bulged from their sockets
and looked as though they would tumble from his head. A whimper
from Sadie set Tom's honest heart throbbing and palpitating. It was
real pain to the fine fellow to know that his little mistress was in
trouble. That and his own courageous, impetuous nature made it
impossible to stay any longer inactive in the boat. Every muscle in his
body trembled, while his breath came quick and deep.
"I's goin' ter help!" he shouted. "Nebber yo fear, missie; soon hab
Massa Jim back safe and sound."
With that he floundered overboard, causing the boat to rock once
more till her gunwale dipped beneath the oily surface of the ocean, a
mass of water flooding the interior instantly. His head had hardly
bobbed up in view again when there came a sudden exclamation
from Sam, and a moment later the little fellow had slipped away to
help his dusky brother in his gallant task.
"Jemima! But if that don't take it!" bellowed one of the crew of the
boat, looking himself as if he were about to follow. "Every mother's
son of 'em'll go down. That ship'll suck 'em under sure. Ain't we
going nearer?"
In his eagerness he seized an oar, banged it into the rowlock, and
proceeded to bear upon it; but a stern order from the captain at once
arrested the movement.
"Belay there!" he cried sharply. "I ain't going to risk the lives of all
aboard for those in the water. We're too close to that ship by a long
way, much too close to my liking. Drop another oar in there,
Macdougal, and pull us away a bit. Harvey, jest get to at bailing;
she's taken a bit of water aboard. Miss Sadie, it's the right thing we're
doing. It'll help them best in the end."
But there was mutiny in the eye of Macdougal. In the excitement of
the moment the eager fellow could not in his own mind differentiate
between the safety of those aboard the boat and those who had
plunged into the water.
"What's that?" he growled. "Go farther away! Desert them as is
wanting our help! Wall, if I ain't jiggered! We calls ourselves white
men, and——"
"Stop!" commanded the skipper sternly. "Get down on that seat and
pull, Macdougal. You're a fool, I'm thinking. Jest remember that I'm
your skipper still, and taking orders from no one. I'm working in the
interest of all."
"Aye, aye, sir. Macdougal, get to at it!" growled the mate, scowling at
the sailor, and clenching a pair of brawny fists. Not that this officer
was really angry with Macdougal. In his heart of hearts he rather
admired the man; but discipline was discipline, and the skipper had
many a time proved his own courage and discretion. Still, even his
persuasion did not make of the sailor a willing man; for the moment
Macdougal was obedient, though mutiny and smouldering anger
flashed from his eyes.
Meanwhile the sinking vessel had displayed another series of erratic
movements. That sickening roll from side to side had been replaced
by a gentle pitching fore and aft, and as the seconds fled swiftly by,
the pitching had become slowly and almost imperceptibly greater.
Then, suddenly, the vessel tossed her bows into the air till her
watermarks were visible to those swimming in the ocean. But it was
only for a little while. The bows came down again with a heave,
which sent her forecastle beneath the surface, till she looked as
though she were in the act of plunging to the bottom. Up she came
again, displacing a huge mass of water, and raising a wave which
spread quickly across the sea till it reached the boat hovering at a
distance and rocked it. She canted heavily to port, showing the whole
of her length of deck, and with such a violent movement that the
passenger aboard was flung clear of the rail right out into the water.
Then souse went her bows once more, raising the stern like a
pinnacle into the gloom which surrounded everything.
"Yo grip him and get away back, quick as yo can," bellowed Tom, his
mouth almost submerged, his powerful arms bearing him swiftly to
help in the rescue. "I's close behind yo, Massa Jim."
But he might have shouted to a log of wood for all the use his words
were. Jim heard not a syllable of his warning, for his eyes and all his
attention were fixed upon the injured man who had been thrown
from the vessel. He reached him in the course of a few seconds, and
turning him upon his back supported his head.
"I'm fine," he heard the man say faintly. "This arm of mine don't give
me no more than a dog's chance of swimming. You clear off, young
chap. You've the right stuff in you, there ain't a doubt; but I'm fine.
Don't you get worrying."
The last words were almost cut off by water lapping into his mouth.
The huge wave raised by the sudden lifting of the vessel caught them
both, and for a moment the two were hidden from sight by a mass of
surging green foam. Jim kicked frantically, bearing himself and the
man to the surface. Something struck hard against his chest, and,
gripping at it with the one hand he had free, he swiftly realized that
fortune had been good to him, for it was a buoy, cast loose by the
injured passenger himself but a little while before, and now swept to
hand at a most opportune moment. He looped his arm over it, and,
slipping the other deeper down, hugged the man closer, drawing his
head well up on to his own shoulder.
It was as well that he had made this hasty preparation, for, of a
sudden, the ship beside which they floated soused her bows deep
again, and slid farther beneath the surface. She seemed to hesitate,
to make one other effort. There came a loud explosion, accompanied
by the sound of splintering and rending wood. Air gushed from a
mighty aperture which had made its appearance at the point where
but a little while before the Spanish passengers had been fighting so
frantically; then she plunged to her bed in the ocean. Swift as a dart
she shot beneath the surface, leaving in her wake a swirling
whirlpool, a twisting vortex into which everything—splinters of wood,
spars, and human beings—were sucked with alarming swiftness, and
with such force that none could resist it. So it happened that Jim and
the passenger once more disappeared from the ken of those who
were watching so eagerly.
How frantically Jim kicked; how desperately he clung to the buoy and
to the man at whose rescue he aimed. The swirling water bearing
them both down beneath the surface of the Caribbean in the wake of
the vessel almost tore them apart in the course of that desperate
struggle.
At one moment the pull on the buoy was so intense that he felt as if
his arm would be dragged from its socket. An instant later a recoil of
the waters swept it back against his face with such violence that his
jaw was all but broken.
"Done for," he thought. "I can't stand much more of this. My lungs
are bursting, my head feels as if it will explode."
The sound of seething, gushing water deafened him at first, but
when he had been a little while immersed the thunderous notes, so
distressing a moment ago, seemed to become lessened in intensity.
The buzzing was now, if anything, rather pleasant, while his mind,
acutely active but a second before, became blissfully content, as if
absorbed in paying attention to that curious singing in his ears. But if
he himself were unconscious of other things, nature still urged him to
struggle on for existence. Jim had no idea of the frantic kicks he
gave, of the grim force with which he clung to the man and to the
buoy. Then something revived his senses and caused his wandering
wits to take notice of his surroundings. A breeze blew in his face,
while someone shouted in his ear. He opened his eyes, and in the
gloom that pervaded everything made out the grinning features of
Tom.
"Yo's dere, den; yo's safe," he heard the negro exclaim. "By lummy,
but dat extra near squeak, so I tell yo! Let go ob de man. Me take
him for de moment. Yo puffed, blowin' like an engine."
Jim was exhausted; his breath was coming in quick, painful gasps. He
could not spare any for an answer, and, indeed, had so little strength
left in him that he did not even resent Tom's movement to take the
injured passenger from his care. Instead, he clung to the buoy,
fighting for air, wondering vaguely exactly what had happened.
"Yo hang dere quiet and easy," said Tom, one hand on the buoy and
his muscular arm about the half-drowned man. "Yo puffin' like a
grampus now, but in a little bit yo be better, not make such a noise,
have plenty strength again. Den take de man and swim back with
him. Tom only come to look on and see dat all well."
It was like the gallant fellow to make light of his own adventure, to
stand aside now that he was sure that Jim was safe, so as not to rob
him of the honour which would follow. Tom was indeed a very honest
negro, a man with a wide, big heart, which held a large corner for
Jim and his sister. He grinned in Jim's face, then suddenly turned and
looked over his shoulder.
"By de poker, but here someone else!" he muttered. "Who dar? We's
safe and sound. Yo hab no cause to worry."
"And I ain't worryin'," came a well-known voice through the darkness.
"I comed along here jest to see what's happenin'. Is Massa Jim right
and well?"
A growl burst from Tom's lips as he recognized the voice, and at once
he turned a pair of blazing eyes upon the culprit who had dared to
follow him.
"Dat yo, Sam?" he demanded. "Den what fo yo dare to leave de
missie? Yo get back right now, or by de poker, me knock you into
twenty cocked hat! What fo yo jump overboard and risk gettin'
drowned?"
The question brought a gurgle from the jolly little Sam. He laughed
outright beneath the nose of the irate Tom, and, reaching the buoy,
clung to it for a moment or so before he deigned to reply.
"Yo's one great big donkey, yo am, Tom," he roared, shaking with
laughter. "Yo tinks yo de only man allowed to jump into de water; but
dat not so. De young massa place yo in charge of de missie, and yo
no right to leave. Me knows dat; me comes along right out here to
haul yo back. Yo one great big blackguard."
To the astonishment of Tom and Jim the little fellow burst into violent
sobs, though his words had conveyed anything but an idea of sorrow.
Sam shook from the top of his woolly head to his shoeless toes, and
set the buoy rocking. Big tears coursed down his cheeks, though the
water dripping from his hair almost cloaked them, and when he tried
to speak again he gulped at the words and failed to express them. It
was, in fact, a strange if comical procedure, and for the moment
Jim's muddled condition did not help him to arrive at the meaning.
But he grasped the truth a moment later, for Tom helped him.
"Yo—yo one little rascal, yo!" he heard the huge fellow exclaim,
though there was no anger in his voice, no resentment for the words
which Sam had hurled at him. Rather there was a strange trembling
which denoted friendly feeling, accompanied by a sudden gripping of
hands between the two darkies which seemed to say that they were
perfectly agreed. Then Jim gathered the full meaning of Sam's tears,
of Tom's magnanimous action. It was joy for his, Jim's, safety that
had set Sam howling, and the tears coursing down his cheeks. It was
that same feeling which induced Tom to overlook the high-flown
language of his small brother and grip his hand so warmly.
"You're just two great grown-up babies," he laughed across at them.
"You seem to imagine that no one can do anything without you, that
I'm like a piece of china, liable to break on the smallest occasion. See
here, Tom and Sam, shake hands. Guess you're both of you white
right away through from head to toe. I owe you both a heap for
coming out after me; but mind what I've said—I ain't a piece of
china. Guess I'm old enough and ugly enough to look after myself."
Tom grinned back at his young master and hung to the buoy for a
while, still clinging to the hand he had offered. Then he dropped it,
moved to the farther side, as if to place himself in a position of
safety, and presently made his reply.
"Sah," he said, "p'raps you old enough, as yo say, p'raps no. Ugly
'nough: yes, I tink so. Yo's ugly 'nough to do one ob de stupidest
tings as ever I seed. What fo yo jump into de sea like dat and swim
toward a ship dat was sinking? S'pose she drag yo down? S'pose yo
neber come up agin. Who den take care of missie?"
Even behind his fun there was a deal of truth. Who indeed would be
left to care for the sister? But Jim had come up again, and, feeling
better, he promptly made his presence felt.
"Jest swim back quick," he commanded Sam, "and tell 'em we're all
right. Tell 'em to come along. We'll hang to the buoy. Now, Tom, set
to splashing with your legs. There'll be sharks about here, and they're
extra fond of darkies."
Tom paled for a moment under his dark skin and looked the reverse
of comfortable. Then he laughed uproariously, shouted to Sam to
hurry his departure, and promptly did as Jim had ordered. For it was
as well to be cautious: both knew that sharks abounded in that
corner of the Caribbean Sea, and some of the brutes might very well
be in the vicinity. They kicked continuously, therefore, till the boat
came up with a rush, and they and the injured man were lifted
aboard.
"Young man, you can jest give me a grip of yer hand," cried the
skipper of the foundered vessel when all were safely in the boat,
stretching across to the triumphant Jim. "I guessed when you came
up alongside us on the ship, telling me that you had fixed matters for
your sister, and were ready to help us out with the trouble those
Spaniards were giving, that you had got stuff behind you—the right
sort of stuff, too. Then you tackled the hounds in proper style, so that
I knew I had a man with me; a man, siree, not jest a boy. But this
last thing's better than all. Guess this gentleman owes you a life.
Guess he'll be for ever in your debt. Young man, I'm pleased to have
met you."
It was a glowing tribute to our hero's courage, and he went crimson
from the top of his dripping head to his stockinged toes as he
listened to the words. Not that anyone could tell, for the gloom
shrouded everything. However, Sadie, sitting beside him, clinging to
his arm as if loath to part again with her protector, guessed his
pleasure, while her own courageous little heart felt as if it would
burst with pride.
"I'm glad you did it, Jim," she whispered, "though I was terrified. And
Tom and Sam were really brave; they are so devoted. Can you
believe, I had the greatest difficulty to keep Ching with me? He hates
swimming, as you know, but he was very nearly following."
"Brave, honest fellows!" answered Jim with a gulp, for such devotion
touched him. "They are, indeed, true friends to us."
However, he had no time for further conversation; for now that the
captain had given his decision on events so recent, the mate and
crew of the boat were determined to make their own voices heard.
"A right proper thing to have done: wish you was my own son,"
declared the former. "Shake, young man. It's a treat to meet one
who's a true American."
"One of the very right sort," growled Macdougal, still trembling with
excitement. "See here, young feller, I've nigh lost a job through you.
I was for kicking up a rumpus direct against the old man's orders.
Chief, I'm main sorry for them words and looks; but there's a time
when a man has to kick. I thought you was funking."
"Funking!" exploded the mate, though the captain sat rigidly in his
place, making no response. "Him funking! The man you and I have
sailed with these past three years and never known to fail us. You
guessed that the chief who led us against those Spaniards was
funking! Gee! I've a mind to smash your head in with this oar."
There was real anger in the voice. The mate was furious, and his
huge doubled fists showed that he was ready for anything; but the
skipper quickly quietened him.
"Belay there, Mr. Jarvis," he said in his ordinary tones. "Macdougal's a
fool, as I've already told him; and if he never knew it before he does
now. I'm not afraid of anyone's criticisms. There's a motto I'm always
a believer in. It runs: 'By their works shalt thou know them'. Guess
I've never done a thing to allow any man to think I was funking.
Macdougal was too excited to be responsible for his thoughts; it's just
the man's bluntness which has made him tell us so honestly. But take
the lesson to heart, Macdougal; keep a clear, steady head always and
it'll carry you through heaps of difficulties. Watch the men you work
with, and get to know all about them: moments of excitement aren't
the times for coming to conclusions. Now let's get on to other
matters. How's that gentleman?"
"Fine," came in shaky tones from the bows of the boat in which the
rescued passenger had been laid. "Guess I know everything. I've
been lying here these last few minutes wondering whether I was
alive or dead, and what had been happening. Is that the skipper?"
"It is, sir."
"Then allow me to say that you've as fine a crew as ever I set eyes
on. It wasn't their fault that I was left aboard the ship. The collision
knocked me silly, and guess I lay away there on the decks out of
sight; but I never reckoned you'd have men aboard ready to take
such risks to rescue a passenger. That young chap who swam out for
me wellnigh went down with the vessel. I held my breath as we went
under till I thought I should bust. And all the time I could feel him
holding tighter to me and kicking. Gee, he's a full-blooded lad! He's
got pluck if you like. And those coloured men come close after him.
When I'm feeling better, guess I'd like to take a grip of their hands."
It was evident that he considered Jim to be one of the crew, and his
gallant action undertaken in the course of duty; but the captain
undeceived him.
"That young chap's a passenger like yourself, sir," he said. "And the
darkies are ditto. I allow that you have every reason to want to thank
them; you owe them your life. But let us see to the other vessel; this
affair has taken her wellnigh out of my head."
The oars were dipped in the water, and the boat was slowly rowed in
the direction of the twinkling lights which showed the position of the
other steamer. She had sheered off to some distance, but as the boat
approached her it became clear that her condition was not so
desperate as had been imagined.
"She's listing badly to port and is down at the head. You can tell that
easily," declared the experienced captain. "We'll row right alongside
and I'll go aboard. You come too, Mr. Jarvis, and we'll take that young
man there."
He motioned to Jim, and, having put his helm over, so directing the
boat alongside the steamer, he called to one of the hands in the bows
to hold to the companion ladder which had been dropped over her
side. Casting his eyes about him, Jim was able to pierce the gloom to
some extent, and became aware of the fact that a number of small
boats were also lying off the vessel. In fact there were at least seven
of them. Another remarkable fact was the silence which pervaded
everything. A little while before there had been a deal of shouting,
and some amount of confusion, no doubt; but now everything was
orderly.
"Fine discipline," remarked the skipper. "The chief of this boat got his
passengers away first of all, and then set to work to repair damages.
Guess he hadn't mad Spaniards to fight. Come along, please."
He scrambled on to the companion and ran nimbly up the steps. A
tall man met him when he reached the deck, and introduced himself
as the captain.
"You're chief of the ship that's foundered?" he asked.
"I am," came the rejoinder. "We were badly holed, and there wasn't a
chance from the very first. Then we had a horde of mad Spaniards to
fight: the hounds lost their heads and struggled for the boats. After
that we found, when it was too late to go near the ship, that one
passenger had been left aboard; but we saved him, thanks to the
pluck of a passenger. Now, sir, I'm sorry for this collision. We'll not
discuss it now; the courts ashore will deal with the evidence. I've
come along to see how you fared."
"And thanks for the kind thought, sir," came the answer. "Reckon the
question of who's to blame can be dealt with as you say. I
congratulate you on the way you managed to come out of a difficulty.
I'd have sent along; but then, you see, I wasn't sure that we weren't
foundering too. There's a hole as big as three rum casks punched in
our bows, and you can see that we've shipped no end of water; but
our water-tight bulkheads were closed right away and that's saved
us. We've the carpenters at work this instant, and as soon as they've
plugged the gap with planks and oakum we'll be able to put matters
a little more shipshape. Our pumps are just holding the water now;
when the gap is plugged we shall gain on it. I reckon to have my
passengers aboard in half an hour; you'll bring yours along, and
welcome."
Half an hour later, in fact, found Jim and his friends, together with all
the passengers and crew of the sunken steamer, aboard; while some
twenty-four hours later the port of Colon had been reached.
"And here we have to start right off again," said Jim, discussing
affairs with his sister. "That five hundred dollars will have to be drawn
upon for clothes and other things, seeing that we lost everything with
the ship. It'll mean I shall have to be quicker in getting a job when
we reach New York. But don't you fear, Sadie; somehow I've a notion
that our fortune is about to improve. Things are looking brighter."
They watched the steamer slowly berthed, and then made for the
gangway. Bidding farewell to the skipper and the crew, with whom
they had become most friendly, they were about to make their way
ashore when the man whom Jim had rescued accosted them.
"I've fixed rooms for you all," he said. "You'll not disappoint me, will
you? I've a house away up on the hill, and there's heaps of room."
"But—but we're going on direct for New York," cried Jim, astonished
at the proposal.
"No doubt, sir; no doubt. But then there don't happen to be a
steamer for a week, and Colon's a bad place to rest in. You'll oblige
me by coming. I ain't had a chance, so far, of thanking you and the
others for what you did. You'll surely give me a chance to get to
know you better. Come and stay for a week till the steamer puts into
port."
It may be imagined that Jim eagerly accepted the invitation, and,
accompanied by Sadie, Tom, Sam, and Ching, took up his quarters
with this new friend. Not for a moment did he guess that this week's
delay would make a vast change in his future. His eye at the moment
was fixed on New York, where he hoped to make that fortune of
which he had laughingly spoken. He never imagined for one instant
that the Isthmus of Panama would detain him, and that there he
would join his compatriots, the Americans, and with them would take
his share in that gigantic undertaking, the Panama Canal.
 CHAPTER IV
Relating to Phineas Barton
Phineas B. Barton was in his own way an extremely pleasant and jolly
man, but he required a great deal of knowing. He was moderately
tall, clean shaven, as is the typical American of to-day, fairly good-
looking, and about forty years of age. When he liked he could be
voluble enough, but as a general rule his conversation was chiefly
noteworthy by its absence; for Phineas was undoubtedly prone to
silence and taciturnity.
"It's like this," he explained to Jim; "I'm boss at the present time of
the foreign labour we employ on the Panama Canal works, and guess
I have to talk most all the day when I'm at work. So a fellow gets
used to keeping his mouth shut at other times, so as to rest his jaw.
Glad you're coming out to my quarters."
He had thanked Jim quietly and with apparently little feeling for his
action in plunging into the sea to save him when the steamer
foundered, and after that had said not a word. But that did not imply
that Phineas was ungrateful. It was not in his nature to employ many
words; he had decided to show his gratitude in other ways. It was for
that reason, no doubt, that he had invited our hero to his house.
And, now that the whole party had disembarked, he proceeded to
lead the way.
"Got any traps?" he asked.
"Not a stick," Jim answered. "We're here as we stand up."
"Then transport isn't a difficulty. It's nine miles to my quarters, and
the railway will take us there quick. There's cars going one way or
the other most always; come along to the terminus."
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