While Guy’s thoughts were running in this channel, he was working industriously at his task of carrying the sailors’ bundles into the forecastle, and finally he found Flint’s among them.
Hastily untying it, he took out two blankets, and rolling up one of them to serve as a pillow, he put it under his friend’s head and spread the other over his shoulders. As he was making his way up the ladder to bring down the last bundle, he heard the splashing of oars close by, and running to the side, saw a yawl approaching.
“Ship ahoy!” cried one of the men in the yawl.
“Halloo!” replied the mate.
“What ship is this?”
Guy listened with all his ears to hear the mate’s reply, but the officer leaned as far over the rail as he could, and spoke in a tone so low that Guy could not catch his words.
“When are you going to sail?” asked the man in the yawl.
“Just as soon as we can haul up our mud-hook,” replied the mate.
“Got your crew all aboard?”
“Yes.”