Silently, the old man touched his cap, and giving me one look, he went

to the bows of his boat. The Belle Helène, lashed by the storm,

rolled and pulled at her cable, rose, fell thuddingly. And at last,

came a giant swell that almost submerged us. I caught Helena to the

cabin-top to keep her drier from it, and the two boys also sprang to a

point of safety. Mrs. Daniver, less agile, was caught by Peterson and

Williams and held to the rail, wetted thoroughly. And by some freak of

the wind, at that instant came fully the roar of the surf. We of the

Belle Helène seemed very small.

I looked now at Peterson. He raised his little megaphone, which hung

at his belt, and shouted loud and clear, as though we could not have

heard him at this distance of ten feet. "Get ready to lower away!"

Williams and the deck-hand sprang to the falls. "Get the women in the

boat, you, Williams," called the skipper, "and go in with them to

steady her when she floats. Take his place there, Mr. Harry. Lively

now!" And how we got the two women into the swinging boat I hardly

knew.

The old skipper cast one eye ahead as a big wave rolled astern. "Now!"

he shouted. "Lower away, there!"

The boat dropped into the cup of a sea, rose level with the rail the

next instant, and tossed perilously. I saw the two women huddled in

the bottom of her, their eyes covered, saw Williams climbing over them

and easing her at the bowline. Then, as we seized the next instant of

the rhythm, and hauled her alongside, Peterson made a leap and went

aboard her, and Williams scrambled back, once more, across the two

huddled forms. I saw him wrench at the engine crank, and heard the

spitting chug of the little motor. They fell off in the seaway,

Peterson holding her with an oar as he could till the screws caught.

Then I saw her answer the helm and they staggered off, passing out of

the beam of our search-light, so that it seemed to me I had said

good-by to Helena forever.

We who remained had no davits to aid us, and must launch by hand. For

a moment I stood and made my plans. First, I called to Willy, our

deck-hand, who had the dingey now astern, some fashion. "Are you

ready?" I demanded: but the next moment I heard his call astern and

knew that, monkey-like, he had got her over and was aboard her

somehow.

"Now, boys," said I, "come here and shake hands with Black Bart." They

came, their serious eyes turned up to me. And never has deeper emotion

seized me than as I felt their young hands in mine. We said nothing.




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024