“Oh, don’t think of me!” Ruth cried. “Do just what you would do if I were not here. Wouldn’t you and the radio man fight them?”
“I think we could put up a pretty good fight,” admitted Dowd thoughtfully. “There are automatic pistols.”
“Bring one for me,” commanded Ruth. “I can shoot a pistol. Three of us might hold off a small boarding party, I should think.”
“If they mean us harm,” added Dowd.
“Make them lie off there and wait till morning so that we can see what they look like,” begged Ruth.
“That might be attempted.”
His lack of certainty rankled in the girl’s quick mind. She ejaculated:
“Surely we can try, Mr. Dowd! There is another thing: the deck guns! Had you thought of them?”
“My goodness, no!” admitted the first officer.
“If we could slue around one of those guns, a single shot might sink the boat off there. If they are enemies, I mean.”