Upon the top of an incoming billow the lifeboat was seen perched, with the men laboring at the oars to keep it steady, and the steersman standing at his post, every muscle strained to hold the craft from broaching to.
It was a wild sight, and every nerve in Darry's body seemed to thrill as he kept his eyes glued upon that careening boat.
On it came, sweeping in with the wash of the agitated sea, until finally it was carried far up the beach, where men, rushing in waist deep, seized hold and prevented the undertow from dragging it out again.
Then the crew jumped out to lend their aid.
Darry saw that quite a number of strangers were aboard, who had undoubtedly been taken from the vessel.
They were passengers, the captain and crew refusing to abandon their craft.
The steamer being head on, was not in as bad a condition as might otherwise have been the case; and as the storm promised to be short-lived, the commander had decided to try and await the coming of tugs from the city to drag his vessel off.
The telephone to the mainland was immediately put to good use, and a message sent to a salvage company that would bring a couple of strong sea-going tugs to the scene inside of ten hours.
Abner had labored with the rest.