"I turned the tiller the wrong way," answered Rush truthfully. "Pull away."
The men growled as they fell to their oars once more. A few swift strokes and they were clear of their ship, Rush this time handling his tiller with more skill than before. He tried the rudder cautiously and found that it responded readily to the least movement of the tiller.
"Now I'm all right," he muttered. "That is if I don't run something else down."
Swinging out in a wide circle the lad steered around the bow of the "Wanderer," heading for the spot where he thought the distressed ship lay.
"Lifeboat there!" bellowed the captain through his megaphone.
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Where you heading?"
"For the other ship."
"No you're not. You're heading for the shore. Pull to port a little more. There, that's better. Look where you are going, now."
The captain's tone was stern and commanding. Steve leaned well forward, peering into the thick fog ahead. He could not make out the other ship as yet, though he could hear the shouting and the hoarsely uttered commands on her deck. It was a scene such as he had never imagined before, and it thrilled Steve Rush through and through. He felt that he was ready for deeds of valor if he should only get the chance to perform them.