An exchange of words above. “John says he thinks one of ’em’s driftin’—only her ridin’ light shows, but the other’s just showed a side-light—her port light.”
“Port light? That’s bad for us. Look sharp to the wheel. And for’ard, who’s got the axe—you, Fred? Well, get up the other axe and stand by with it you, Tim. Slash to it, both of you, when I give the word. Can you hear me?”
“Yes, sir.”
He stepped back to the break and tried to catch John’s voice for himself. Not getting it easily, he jumped into the rigging. “What’s that last—of that one sailin’——”
“Another vessel driftin’ down—and another—two draggin’ and two sailin’, but not makin’ much headway. An awful wind aloft, Skipper.”
“Aye, John—and below, too. But what’s that? Hell!” He dropped to deck and leaped to the wheel. He was just in time to dodge the side-sweep of a vessel’s bowsprit as she swirled by his quarter. Another moment and it caught the stern davits, the dory slung up to them, and then the end of the Pantheon’s main boom. Cr-s-sh!—cr-s-sh! The bowsprit of the stranger cracked sharp off, the Pantheon’s dory went to kindlings, and her boom smashed at the slings. “Hi-i! you blasted loon, where you goin’?”
“Hi-i!” came back a yet hoarser voice—“couldn’t help it—parted both cables.”
“That’s bad——”
“Yes—good-by.”
Dannie fanned the snow from his eyes. “If that ain’t hell—talkin’ to men you can’t see and they driftin’ away to be lost! And the dory gone, though it’s more than a dory we’ll need to-night.”