Of course Walter’s first thought was of his brother, and he kept his eyes glued to the spot where he believed he saw Guy strike the water. The Jetta stopped fifty feet from the berg, where Det surveyed the scene to determine who was most in need of assistance.
Nobody appeared to be in danger of sinking, but several were evidently unconscious. The bravery and thoughtfulness of some of the men was heroic. The heads of two unconscious men were being held up by two others who had escaped serious injury. Another man, almost helpless, was being assisted by one of the women. This man was Professor Anderson, who in attempting to aid a woman, failed to make the best of his own “safety-first” opportunities and was knocked almost senseless by striking the water flat on his left side. The woman who came to his rescue seemed to have the strength of a man. In her earlier years she had been an athlete and a swimmer with a record. Her leap from the iceberg had been one of the most skillful and spectacular of the whole dramatic scene as viewed from the deck of the Jetta. The woman whom the professor tried to assist made a floundering leap and was knocked unconscious.
Walter soon discovered his brother holding the head of the latter woman above the water. With a heart full of thankfulness he sent a cry of cheer to Guy, who was slowly swimming toward the Jetta, dragging his human burden with him.
The work of rescue now progressed rapidly. Men and women were pulled and hoisted over the railing on all sides, and presently the little craft was thickly populated with dripping, shivering figures, including the two Eskimos and their dogs.
The yacht was now converted into a hospital. Three of the men and two of the women had been killed and their bodies, buoyed with the life jackets, were taken aboard. Then without further delay, the homeward journey was begun.
Det remained at the wheel. Tony performed the duties of galley superintendent, and Walter assumed the position of head nurse. All of the surviving women and seven of the men were either severely injured or on the verge of pneumonia, and it was necessary that they be given the best of care.
That night Walter had another opportunity to use the wireless outfit on the yacht with heroic effect. About nine o’clock the lights of a large steamer were sighted in the southeast, and the yacht’s course was shaped to run as near to the big ship as possible. Walter, meanwhile, was busy with receivers at his ears and hands operating the key and tuning sliders. He must quit the field of amateur wireless sender for a short time and invade the commercial wireless world on the high sea.
Guy stood near his brother, eagerly watching the latter’s every movement. After a minute or two of critical inspection, he offered a bold suggestion, one generally held to be a grave violation of governmental limitation of the rights of radio amateurs:
“Why don’t you tighten the coupling of your oscillating circuit?”
Walter looked up at his brother with grim intelligence.