The lad only waited to assure himself that his comrades were safe, when he turned his attention to the men whom he had dragged ashore; but they stood in little need of his services, for by this time both were fully conscious, and before Benny could so much as speak, Sam Hardy, having leaped out of the boat, had caught the boy in his arms.
“You’ve done that, No. 8, of which any one of us might well be proud, and he who says you’re not a member of this crew, is makin’ the mistake of his life! You were born to the work, my boy, and have got the heart to carry it through!”
So great had been the lad’s excitement that he was hardly aware of the service he had rendered, until each of the men in turn had some word of praise or congratulation to bestow, and not the least was that which came from Tom Downey, who said as he hurried on toward the gun:
“If you don’t get a medal for this morning’s work, No. 8, it’s because we can’t tell the story in the proper way, for you’ve earned one if ever man did!”
No more than two or three minutes in all had been spent by the life savers upon the lad, for each had greeted him while pressing on to take his proper station, and by the time Benny fully understood what the keeper’s words signified, every member of the crew was performing the necessary work toward sending out the breeches-buoy.
While the rescue was being effected the steamer had been driven yet higher up on the shoal, and was now so near the shore as to render it a comparatively simple matter to send the line-carrying shot over her deck.
Once communication was established Benny took his station at the whip in the rear of the shifting-man, hauling with a will, and heeding not the laborious exertion until one after another, first the passengers, then the crew, and lastly the captain were brought ashore.
The master of the steamer made no verbal comment upon the work when he clambered out from the breeches-buoy.
He clasped Keeper Downey’s hand for an instant, looking into the latter’s eyes as if acknowledging his fault, and then turning to Benny, said:
“I saw what you did, lad, and the best man of your crew couldn’t have accomplished the rescue more expeditiously.”