“Sit down,” said the steamer captain. “My friend,” he added, taking out a memorandum book and a pencil, “do you realize what you have done for my passengers and crew to-night?”
“How about my comrade, plucky Bill Barber?” inquired Tom, trying to evade the direct compliment.
“We’ll come to him in the final settlement, don’t fret about that,” observed the captain definitely. “You got the message, you started the grand old ball rolling that saved twenty lives!” exclaimed the excited captain. “So the tug officer tells me. Now, then, a few questions. Name?”
Tom gave it, and replied in detail to other inquiries of his companion. In fact, before the captain had concluded the inquisition he had gathered from Tom and jotted down the main facts of a pretty circumstantial account of the start and finish of the rescue.
“I shall telegraph the outlines of the case at once to headquarters,” said the steamer captain. “I shall follow it up with the written report of your share in the affair. You will hear from the company in a very substantial way, count on that, young man. Wait here a few minutes.”
The speaker left Tom and went into the big room beyond where the rescued male passengers and crew of the Olivia were gathered. He closed the door after him, but Tom caught the echo of many voices in animated discussion. He even made out the cackling, complaining tones of the man with the life preservers.
When the captain came out he placed in Tom’s hands a roll of banknotes.
“Hold on——” began Tom.
“No, you do the holding on, young man,” interrupted the captain cheerfully. “That’s a little heart-to-heart acknowledgment from the crowd in there, who wanted to cheer you, but they might scare the natives. Oh, by the way—I came near cheating you. Here’s a part of the contribution.”
The speaker burst into a rollicking roar of laughter as he placed in Tom’s hand a nickel. Tom smiled inquiringly.