Keeper Downey set about making his report to the Department, based on information supplied by the only survivor of the Amazonia, and the men resumed their duties of watching for wreckage from the ill-fated ship, leaving the homeless boy and his only friend comparatively alone.
During the remainder of this day every man took good care that Benny should not find his way into the boat-room, and all seemed to believe it their duty to prevent the lad’s thoughts from straying back into the past.
A toy full-rigged ship, which one of the crew had fashioned during his hours of leisure, was brought down from its shelf that Benny might make a critical examination of it, and each in turn had some odd souvenir or curious memento of the sea to attract the lad’s attention, until, from the appearance of the mess-table, one would have said a party of children were being entertained.
Despite all their efforts, however, Benny’s mind would go back to the terrible evening just spent, and many times while the kindly hearted men were doing their best to cause forgetfulness, the big tears overflowed his eyelids, although the boy did his best to repress them.
When evening came, and supper had been served, both Benny and Fluff were ready to retire, and after the lad was tucked snugly in Sam Hardy’s bed with the dog’s pink nose resting over his arm, such of the crew as were not on duty came together to discuss the future of these waifs who had been thrown up by the sea into their keeping.
There was no formality attending this conference. From Keeper Downey to Surfman Sawyer, all appeared to believe that the lad and the dog were under the especial protection of the crew attached to this station, and not one made any effort to shift the responsibility to another’s shoulders.
“It stands to reason that the captain of the Amazonia did not know anything about the lad’s people, otherwise he or his wife must have said something that Benny would have overheard,” Keeper Downey began, by way of opening what all tacitly understood was a meeting of the “board of guardians.” “It may be that when the story of the wreck is told in the newspapers, as will be done by to-morrow, some one comes forward to claim the lad, though I doubt it. Now there is nothing in the Service as provides for such as he, except so far as giving food and shelter to the shipwrecked until they can be removed to other quarters.”
“And I allow it wouldn’t be according to regulations for us to keep him here?” Joe Cushing said interrogatively, and Keeper Downey replied emphatically:
“Not unless we have permission from headquarters. But whether that can be gained or not goes beyond me.”
“Suppose we don’t keep him? Allow that we send him away?” Henry Robbins asked. “Where could a boy like him be put?”