Brought into high relief by the rising moon, the lead-man stationed forward called:
"Four feet scant—four feet—by the lead five n' a half! No bottom!" Then came:
"Three—t-h-r-e-e—f-e-e-t—scant!" Again the boat scraped the sand.
As the pilot shouted down the tube to the engineers to pile on more steam Charlie reverted to the rescue.
"Danvers looked pretty well used up when he was brought aboard. But darned if he yipped. He was all for lookin' after Winnie."
"I like the lad," nodded the doctor approvingly. "He has the gift of silence. Shakespeare says: 'Give thy thoughts no tongue.'"
In their next turn they saw Burroughs.
"It'll never do for you to locate at Macleod, Bob, 'f you're goin' to aggravate every recruit you don't happen to like," suggested Charlie, with the privilege of friendship.
"I was a fool!" Burroughs confessed. "But somehow that youngster——"
"You an' he'll always be like two bull buffalo in a herd," said Charlie, wisely.