With stern way on, we had by this time hauled out to port, braced the yards sharp up, and caught the wind in the foresail and three lower topsails. Our visitors perhaps had saved us from a serious accident; at any rate, they'd demonstrated their ability. It gave them something to brag about on their own account; while the effect on my crew was only to intensify the spirit of rivalry. In fact, the incident brought a great improvement to the tone of the ship; for I had noticed during the last couple of days a growing animosity between the steamer's forecastle and ours, due to the forced inactivity of the former.
On the following day the westerly breeze blew itself out; in the early afternoon a steamer overtook us, bound in for New York, passing about four miles to windward. We were then off to the southward of Nantucket, having come about on the starboard tack during the night. I set a string of signals "Come closer. Have important news to communicate" The steamer made them out, changed her course, and ran down within hailing distance. She was a German vessel, one of the first oil-tankers to cross the Atlantic, they told me in New York; her name was the Energie. Her captain couldn't speak English fluently; but he had picked up a New York pilot somewhere on the Banks, a man who'd been carried to sea by another vessel in a storm. He was the fellow who talked to me from the bridge, although I didn't know it at the time.
"Steamer ahoy!" I hailed; "The British steamer Santiago has burned at sea. I have on board her entire ship's company, and am taking them to New York. No one was lost, either passengers or crew. Please report us all well"
They held a consultation over this news on the bridge of the Energie. Soon I was hailed in a familiar South Street twang.
"Captain, don't you want to be relieved of your guests? You must be short of provisions"
I heard Captain Potter chuckle behind me.
"There's your chance to get to New York ahead of us" said I, turning to him. It was a smooth day on the water, with little prospect of wind.
"Do you want to be rid of us, Captain?" he asked.
"No, sir" said I emphatically.
"Then we'll stay aboard, if you don't mind, and reach New York when you do"