“And who’ll steer?” asked somebody.
“You’ll know in a minute,” said Clancy, and he leaped for the seine-boat and made it, and grabbed the steering oar. “Stand by––push off! Fend off in the vessel there! Steve, if anything happens––you know––you’re to take the Johnnie home. Give way, fellows. Now! Watch out!––now––now then, around with her––end on, and there she is like a bird! And now drive her!”
“A bird!” said Clancy––but a wild-looking bird––fifty feet she looked to be going into the air one moment and down out of sight the next, and water slamming aboard her so that we thought she was swamped half a dozen times. Two had to leave the oars and go to bailing, while Clancy with an arm and shoulders and back and swinging 304 waist like––well, like nothing a man ever had before––kept her end to it.
“Good luck!” we called.
“Never fear––we’ll bring ’em back!” said Clancy.
“Or stay with them,” we thought.
But he didn’t stay with them. It was a ticklish job, but Clancy got away with it. He didn’t dare to go too near the Flamingo, for that meant that the seas would pitch the seine-boat up and dash it to kindling wood against her hull. What he did do was to go as near the Flamingo as he could and keep her clear, then heave a line aboard and call to her crew one after the other to make it fast around themselves and jump overboard. It took some nerve to make that jump––from the rigging of the Duncan we watched them––saw them shiver and draw up––these were men accustomed to face danger––reckless men––but the shiver was over in a breath, and then over the rail and into that sea––a game fight––and they were hauled into the seine-boat. Some of them we thought would never make it, for it was an awful sea.
As fast as one of the Flamingo’s men made the seine-boat he was set to work bailing out or taking a haul at the oars, for it was a difficult matter in that sea to keep the seine-boat at the right distance from the Flamingo. But they got them all––ten 305 of them. Two were hauled in unconscious, but came to after awhile.
To get aboard the Johnnie again was almost as bad as to get into the seine-boat from the Flamingo. But we managed it. Long Steve was swept over while we were at it, but we got him back with the help of Maurice Blake and another of the Flamingo’s crowd. By smart clever work they grabbed Steve before he could go down and hauled him into the seine-boat.
When they were all safe aboard the Duncan Clancy shook hands with Maurice. “I call that luck, Maurice––to come out to save a stranger and find you’ve saved your own. And now whose trick to the wheel––you, Joe? Put her on the off-shore tack till we’re well clear of that headland––maybe we c’n make it in one leg. No? Then a short tack and have an eye out for the ledges––not too close. And Maurice, go below––you and Dave and all hands of you, and we’ll get out dry clothes for you. Man, but you must be cold and hungry, but the cook’s getting coffee and grub ready. And for the Duncan’s crew––on deck all hands and put the tops’ls to her. For, Maurice-boy, we’re going home––going home, Maurice––where there’s people waiting for you. Hang on a while longer, Joe, and I’ll take her myself.”