From his manner of speaking I understood that he was what we round about Presque Isle call a French-Canadian, and as such it was reasonable to suppose he had no very great love for the British.
However, whether he had been a friend or foe it was not my purpose to leave him, for should the wind increase to a gale he would be in great danger, while if it fell calm the lad was like to die from thirst or hunger.
Our craft was not to be brought around in an instant, and the boy, who could have known but little of seamanship, believing we intended to run away from him, redoubled his cries for help.
“Have patience until we can lay you alongside,” Alec shouted with no little tinge of anger in his tones, for it seemed childish that this fellow should suppose we could bring the eighteen-foot boat up into the wind as we pleased.
The lad was so thoroughly frightened that he seemingly failed to understand anything we said to him; but continued to shriek imploringly, while we manœuvred our boat as best we might in a wind so strong that it was necessary to run off for a mile or more before we could stand back toward him.
“He is even more than an ordinary coward!” Alec exclaimed, as the boy’s cries came to us, while, if he had had his wits about him, he must have seen that we were doing all in our power to get alongside the bateau.
“It is not strange he shows signs of fear,” I said, feeling wondrous kind toward him just then because of the timorousness which had been in my heart a few moments previous. “He who is adrift on the lake without means of even so much as steering his boat, has a hard lookout ahead of him.”
“He might at least hold his peace, knowing what we are trying to do.”
“It may be he is no sailor, and fails to understand why it is necessary we run so far down before putting back,” I replied; and from that moment Alec held his peace, although I understood full well by the expression on his face that the lad’s continued appeals for help annoyed him greatly.
Well, to make a long story short, we laid him alongside in due time, and once our craft rubbed against the gunwale of the boat, he leaped aboard in frantic haste, as if believing every second was precious.